Planning reform and building for a future Design is also going to be a key feature in UK planning reforms. Building more homes is a priority of the new government. What these homes will look like, how many will be built, where they'll be built, and how they support a response to the climate crisis, will undoubtedly influence design trends in the coming years. As part of their reform a new planning framework has been written and, perhaps contentiously, sees the words 'beauty' and 'beautiful' dropped from its pages in terms of building design. Francesca Kilby, Head of Real Estate at Citypress expanded, “the reason given by Angela Raynor (Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government) is that they’re too subjective. What this will mean in practice is yet to be made clear. But may have a significant impact on design trends within the built environment.” Yet, one new word was added to the planning framework – 'grey belt'. It's not exactly the Green Belt but rather parcels of land that fall within it that could be repurposed – i.e. built on. These could include sites such as car parks, golf courses, market gardens, quarries and leisure facilities like caravan parks. Research by The Times, shows that some 3% of England's Green Belt could be considered grey belt. This equates to around 46,871 hectares (115,820 acres) that could potentially be built on 12 .
While there is still some ambiguity as to what the full list might contain, it raises the possibility of new developments being more appealing than these sites currently are. In England and Wales, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is being put at the heart of creating new habitats as part of all new developments Far less contentious is a country-wide trend for creating new greenspaces within the urban landscape. In England and Wales, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is being put at the heart of creating new habitats as part of all new developments, making our towns and cities much greener and nicer places to live and work. Put simply, BNG, ensures any development has a measurably positive impact ('net gain') on biodiversity, compared to what was there before.
Crown | Colour Insights | 2025/2026 | page 14
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