December 2025: Year-end briefing on property development and housing delivery

Property development in 2025 was defined by tension. High borrowing costs, stubborn build-cost inflation, and a cautious planning system meant many schemes paused, reset, or returned for redesign.

Yet the market never fully lost its pulse. Falling interest rates and improving mortgage affordability kept the £1m–£2m market moving, even as sales took longer and the very top end remained softer.

At the same time, the Government’s commitment to boosting housing supply began translating into action. The revised NPPF 2024 started to take effect, reinstating mandatory housing targets and introducing the Grey Belt.

That momentum is now accelerating. On 16 December 2025, the Government published a consultation draft for NPPF 2025, despite the NPPF 2024 being barely a year old. The draft draws a clearer line between plan-making and decision-making policies, with only the latter guiding determinations. The intention is simple: reduce uncertainty, limit local variation, and bring greater consistency to how applications are assessed nationwide.

For Urbanist Architecture, 2025 was just as defining. We delivered several remarkable projects ranging from residential renovations, property conversions and small housing developments in London through to Green Belt and Grey Belt schemes across the country. But what made this year stand out wasn't the work itself. It was the collective energy of our team, who continue to raise the bar together. Combine that with clients who challenge us with their ambition, and it's a year worth remembering.

2026 brings Urbanist Architecture to thirteen years in practice. The pace of reform in housing and planning continues, our workload keeps growing, and so does our commitment to getting it right for our clients. What excites me most is seeing where our team takes us next.