The Revised NPPF and the Future of Green Infrastructure
How planning rules on trees, drainage and green space are changing what goes into a development
For years, the greenery on a new development was often the last thing to be decided and the first thing to be trimmed when budgets tightened. Planting was too often judged on how it looked in the brochure, rather than on how it performed once people had moved in. Planning policy has been steadily changing that position.
The National Planning Policy Framework set out at the end of 2024 gave green infrastructure a firmer footing in how new places are designed and approved, treating trees, drainage and accessible green space as part of the basic fabric of a development rather than as finishing touches. That direction has only strengthened since, with the Planning and Infrastructure Act 2025 and a further revised framework expected in 2026 continuing to move nature and green infrastructure up the planning agenda. The practical effect on how landscape schemes are designed and delivered is significant.
Green infrastructure is the network of planted and natural features that runs through a place, from street trees and verges to rain gardens, parks and hedgerows. Its value is easy to underestimate on a plan and easy to see on the ground, in cooler streets, cleaner air, and planting that offers pollinators nectar and birds food and nesting cover through the year. The framework now asks for more of it, and asks that it lasts.
Anyone can plant a tree or dig a basin. Keeping planting alive and performing for decades is the harder task, and it is the priority that planning policy now puts front and centre.
What the framework now asks for
The framework states that new streets should be tree-lined, and that opportunities should be taken to add trees elsewhere in a development, in parks and community orchards among other places. Where trees already exist on a site, they should be retained wherever possible rather than cleared for convenience.
The framework also asks that appropriate measures are in place to secure the long-term maintenance of newly planted trees. A tree in the ground is only the beginning, and the years that follow decide whether it survives to give shade, canopy and shelter for nesting birds and insects. Tying maintenance into the scheme from the outset is a meaningful change in how tree planting is treated.
Sustainable drainage systems, known as SuDS, are now expected across a far wider range of applications rather than only the largest developments. Any scheme that affects how a site drains is likely to need to show how it will manage water at the surface rather than pushing it straight into drains that are already under pressure.
Tree-lined streets, and the maintenance behind them
Mature street trees cool the air in summer, intercept rainfall before it reaches the ground, trap airborne particulates, and soften the hard edges of built development, which makes a tree-lined street one of the simplest ways to improve how a place feels and functions. They support wildlife too, offering nesting sites for birds and forage for pollinating insects where the planting is chosen well.
A useful benchmark has gained ground in this area, often described as the 3-30-300 rule. It suggests that everyone should be able to see at least three established trees from their home, that every neighbourhood should aim for thirty per cent canopy cover, and that quality green space should sit within three hundred metres of where people live. It captures, in plain terms, the ambition behind much of the new policy. (For a fuller look at the rule, see our blog on the 3-30-300 rule for greener neighbourhoods.)
Street trees face some of the most difficult growing conditions of any planting, with compacted soil, restricted rooting space, reflected heat, and long dry spells between rain. A tree that copes in a garden may struggle badly in a paved street, which makes species choice and establishment critical to the result. (We look at the species best suited to these conditions in our blog on trees for urban areas.)
The first few years after planting are when most young trees are lost, usually through a lack of water and care rather than anything dramatic. Watering through the establishment period, formative pruning, and simple regular checks make the difference between a street tree that reaches maturity and one that is quietly replaced two or three times over. This is exactly the long-term maintenance the framework now asks schemes to secure, and building that care in from the start protects both the investment and the intent behind the design.
Tough, urban-tolerant trees with a proven record on hard sites remain the sensible starting point, and newer climate-resilient selections are coming to market to meet increasingly extreme conditions. Trees proven to cope with both drought and periods of waterlogging give the tougher streets these policies will create a far better chance of maturing well.
Sustainable drainage and the planting that makes it work
The expansion of SuDS across smaller developments brings planting into the heart of how sites handle water. Rain gardens, swales, detention basins and permeable planted areas slow rainfall down, let it soak into the ground, and reduce the volume rushing into drains during a storm. The planting performs genuine hydraulic and filtering functions, and the choice of species decides how well the feature works. (If you want to understand how these systems work, our blog on sustainable drainage systems goes into more detail.)
A rain garden may sit under standing water after heavy rain and bake dry a fortnight later, so the species have to tolerate both extremes. Getting the plant selection right, and zoning it carefully, is what allows a SuDS scheme to keep working year after year. Moisture-tolerant marginals suit the dampest centre, tolerant grasses and sedges hold the middle ground, and tougher shrubs sit comfortably at the drier edges.
Beyond managing water, a planted swale or basin can become a corridor for wildlife, providing food and shelter for insects, amphibians and birds within an otherwise hard landscape. Handled thoughtfully, the requirement to manage water becomes a chance to connect otherwise isolated habitats into a corridor that insects, amphibians and birds can move along, adding to the biodiversity value a scheme has to demonstrate. (For how this requirement works, see our blog on biodiversity net gain.)
Green space that people can actually reach
Good green infrastructure threads smaller spaces through a development, from planted courtyards and verges to pocket parks and play areas, so that quality green space sits within a short walk of home rather than in a single distant park.
Access to green space supports physical and mental wellbeing, encourages people to walk and spend time outdoors, and helps cool and clean the air in built-up areas. For biodiversity, a connected network of planted spaces gives insects, birds and small mammals room to move and feed, linking habitats that would otherwise sit isolated between buildings.
Delivering it well depends on planting that is chosen for the long term and looked after properly. Green space that is cheap to install but neglected afterwards rarely delivers what was promised. The same principle that runs through the tree and drainage provisions applies here, that the value lies in planting designed and maintained to last.
What this means for planting on new schemes
When trees, drainage and green space are fundamental to gaining and keeping planning consent, planting deserves attention far earlier in the process. The plant selection and its long-term care become part of the core scheme rather than an afterthought to be value-engineered away when costs tighten.
Species matched to the real conditions of a street, a basin or an exposed frontage tend to establish well and perform for the long term, and the strongest schemes pair planting that is fit for its setting with planting that is right for the design. Provenance and quality matter just as much, as healthy, well-grown stock establishes faster and stands a far better chance of surviving its first summers in the ground.
The best stock, particularly larger trees and semi-mature specimens, is not something to source at short notice, and reserving it early gives a scheme the quality and sizes it needs. Aligning orders with the dormant planting season, when rootball and bare root stock establish most reliably, gives new planting the strongest possible start.
At Greenwood, we work with the teams designing and building these schemes to match planting to site conditions, plan supply around the programme, and support the establishment that these policies rightly ask for. Our stock is grown peat-free and to Plant Healthy standards, giving new schemes a resilient, biosecure foundation to build on.
The revised framework sets a clear direction, with greener streets, better drainage, and green space that gives people somewhere to walk and gives pollinators and birds food and shelter close to home. Turning that direction into places that thrive comes down to the planting itself, and to the care that keeps it going long after the site is handed over.
For more information about planting for green infrastructure schemes, speak to the G Team today.