Is Earley a well-connected station under the new NPPF?

The short answer

Yes. On the weekday timetable Earley averages about 4 trains an hour, with about 2 an hour in its busiest direction, passing the frequency test, and it sits in the Reading travel to work area, ranked 7 of the top 80 in England by economic output. Within about 800 metres, residential schemes must achieve at least 35 homes per hectare of net developable area. The service passes the minimum but not double it, so the 35 homes per hectare floor applies.

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~4/hr

average daytime service, weekday timetable

~2/hr

busiest single direction

35/ha

minimum housing density within 800 m

The frequency limb

Annex B asks for at least 4 trains an hour overall, or 2 an hour in any one direction, throughout the weekday daytime. Earley averages about 4 an hour; its quietest daytime hour sees 4.

Trains calling per hour, 07:00 to 19:00 · weekday timetable, 2026-09-01 sample

The travel to work area limb

Earley sits in the Reading travel to work area, ranked 7 of the top 80 in England by economic output, at about £32.7bn of gross value added a year (ONS 2023). The Framework fixes the 2023 rankings until the day after the 2028 figures are published, so this half of the test will not move before then.

What passing unlocks within 800 metres

Policy L3(2)(c): residential schemes must reach at least 35 homes per hectare of net developable area, and L3(4) directs refusal for schemes that fall short. How the density rule works
Policy S5(1)(h): outside a settlement boundary, land within walking distance that is physically well-related to Earley or its settlement has a route to housing permission in its own right. The routes outside settlements
Policies GB7(1)(h) and GB2(4): in the Green Belt, housing near the station can be not inappropriate development, and plans can release land here without exceptional circumstances. How Green Belt policy changed

Nearby well-connected stations

Own land within 800 metres of Earley?

The rules around this station changed in August 2026. Our free assessment reads your exact boundary against the full Framework: settlement position, Green Belt status, flood risk, heritage and the density rules on this page.

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Service frequencies from the national rail weekday timetable, 2026-09-01 sample; timetables change, so check the current one before relying on this in an application. The 800 metre circle is straight line distance; the Framework applies around a 10 minute actual walk where barriers exist. See Earley among all 1,121 qualifying stations

Reflects the National Planning Policy Framework (2026), published 17 August 2026. This page last reviewed 26 August 2026. Read the framework.