Accessibility campaign group warns draft NPPF could ‘lock millions out of market’ in letter to housing secretary

Habinteg Housing Association alongside social housing and disability sector partners have written an open letter to housing secretary Steve Reed, warning that the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) risks “locking millions out of the housing market.”

The letter criticised a proposed change to the framework set out in the government’s December 2025 draft NPPF, which suggests at least 40% of new homes should be built to M4(2) accessible and adaptable standard.

The group described this as a “significant step backwards that risks building the care crisis of tomorrow” and instead called for all new-build homes to be delivered to this standard.

The letter was written by Habinteg’s insight group – a collective of disabled people, housing professionals and allies campaigning for accessible housing.

The insight group wrote: “The previous government committed to making M4(2) the mandatory baseline for all new homes through building regulations. By pivoting to a 40% threshold within the NPPF, the current proposals effectively suggest that 60% of new homes can continue to be built to an inaccessible standard.

“Decisive action is needed now to prevent future generations from looking back at this 1.5-million-home surge as a missed opportunity that locked millions of disabled and older people out of the housing market.”

Habinteg has described the M4(2) specification as “not a specialist standard” as it mandates housing design that allows for future adaptation.

The letter also called to mandate a specific percentage of new-build homes delivered to M4(3) wheelchair-user standards.

Sarah, a London-based postgraduate student and Insight Group member, said: “Due to a lack of accessible housing in my area, I’ve had to move to a different county to get temporary council accommodation that’s only partially suitable for me.

“This has reduced my quality of life, my social support network, and access to adult social care, impacting my health and career prospects. How can young disabled people, like me, be expected to work when they haven’t got a stable and safe place to live?”

The consultation on the draft NPPF closed on 10 March 2026.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has been contacted for comment.