The Secretary of State, George Osbourne, has announced changes to the English Planning System, to increase house building, by removing the need for Planning Approval on some brownfield land, under a new “zonal” system.
How this “zonal” system is to be defined has yet to be revealed.
Other “powers” are being proposed to speed up the development process, namely;
· Ministers would get powers to seize disused land
· Major housing projects could be fast tracked
· Rules on extensions in London would be relaxed
· In London, permitted development rights could be extended to allow developers to extend buildings to the height of their neighbours.
· In London and Manchester, planning powers will be devolved to the Mayors of the cities
· The government would be able to intervene in Council’s local development plans
And what could be the most important change;
· New sanctions for Councils who do not deal with planning applications quickly enough.
RGP’s reaction and comments;
As usual the devil is always in the detail with changes to Planning Legislation!
1. Will the compulsory seizure of disused land, be subject to the same inspector appeal process as CPO powers?
2. How would existing “Neighbourhood” plans be affected, by fast tracking major housing projects?
3. Will rules on housing extensions in London exceed current Permitted Development rights?
4. What can Westminster impose on local planning departments to speed up the planning process?
Do we really believe any of this will help speed up the process and get England Building?
Why not improve work-life balance, reduce carbon emissions and deliver growth by making the UK the most well-connected digital nation with high-speed fibre optic for all? Replacing car usage with video conferencing and home working.
