News & regulatory updates

New NPPF policies W1–W4 require development plans to be informed by early engagement with utility providers and network operators on energy, water, drainage and wastewater capacity, and give substantial weight to proposals that deliver that infrastructure.

The August 2026 NPPF requires SuDS on all development with drainage implications to be designed in accordance with Defra's National Standards for SuDS, with major schemes taking account of Lead Local Flood Authority advice — elevating what was non-statutory guidance into named national planning policy.

AD F 2026 limits flexible ductwork to 200 mm, caps design static pressure by flow rate, and requires a competent person to give Building Control design calculations and drawings for any ventilation system with more than 2 m of duct.

AD F 2026 defines a highly airtight dwelling as one with a design air permeability below 5 m³/(h·m²) or an as-built result below 3 — and for those homes, background ventilators plus intermittent extract is no longer a compliant strategy.

The August 2026 NPPF drops the draft ban on local energy efficiency standards, but policy PM13 requires any such standard to be a costed percentage uplift on the Target Emissions Rate calculated using a specified version of SAP.

The August 2026 NPPF confirms local plans may apply the tighter Part G optional requirement where justified, and exceptionally a more stringent local standard in areas of serious water stress, keeping the local patchwork in place ahead of Defra's Part G response.

FHS transitional protection needs both an application before 24 March 2027 and commencement before 24 March 2028 — and regulation 46A defines commencement as the completed sub-structure including ground floor level, building by building.

MHCLG's Q2 2026 EPC statistics show 51,000 new-dwelling lodgements in England (up 2%) versus a 12% fall for existing dwellings, with 89% of new dwellings rated A or B and a new de-duplication method revising historic figures slightly downwards.

RdSAP Conventions v12.2 apply from 6 August 2026: 16 amended conventions, four new ones and the deletion of Appendix 4 — mostly consistency-driven clarifications that change how DEAs classify properties and record evidence.

The GPDO Amendment Order 2026 rewrites permitted development rights for domestic solar in England from 27 August 2026, splitting the rules for houses and flats, adding protrusion and height limits, and formally defining plug-in solar.

Scotland's Stage 2 consultation on its 'Passivhaus equivalent' standard proposes fabric and carbon uplifts, new metrics and a HEM-based method — with implementation slipping from 31 March 2028 to autumn 2029. It closes 16 October 2026.

DESNZ's new SMETER Strategic Guide backs measuring a home's real Heat Transfer Coefficient from smart-meter data — real-world evidence to sit alongside modelled assessments, with a route towards future EPCs.

New BNG exemptions took effect on 6 August 2026 — most notably a 0.2-hectare exemption that lifts mandatory BNG from the smallest developments — but they apply only to planning applications made from that date.

Reformed domestic EPCs will carry four headline metrics — energy cost, fabric performance, heating system and smart readiness — produced via HEM. Launch is now the second half of 2027, with a shared implementation plan due in summer 2026.

England's Building Safety Levy starts 1 October 2026: a per-square-metre charge on major residential developments, collected via Building Control, with the completion certificate withheld until it's paid.

CIBSE TM59:2026 introduces a passive-first three-stage method, four assessment criteria and a rewritten bedroom night-time test. Approved Document O still references the 2017 edition — so mind the gap.

A mandatory A–F water efficiency label for water-using products is due by end of 2026. What it covers, where it stands, and how it lines up with the Part G reform.

Water UK has backed Defra's proposed cut from 125 to 105 l/p/d. The government response is still awaited, with implementation intended during 2026 and a six-month transition.

ADL 2026 ends the standard-size window U-value. From March 2027, values must reflect each product's real dimensions — nudging figures upward and closing the design-vs-reality gap.

The first Nature Restoration Fund regulations are laid, paving the way for a pay-a-levy alternative to site-by-site nutrient neutrality. What it changes — and what hasn't changed yet.

What Approved Document L 2026 actually changes — the dates, the new rules, and why thermal bridging matters more than ever.

The Home Energy Model launch is delayed; SAP 10.3 remains the only FHS compliance route. Why that's good news, and what to prep now.