Transcript DBC Corporate presentation template 2010

Current Planning Issues
in Hertfordshire
James Doe
Assistant Director – Planning, Development and Regeneration
Chair of Hertfordshire Planning Group
Hertfordshire Housing Conference – 9 November 2012
Today’s workshop
• Last year’s presentation – Localism and the new Planning
Agenda
• Current National Planning Issues
• How this affects Hertfordshire – and what we are doing
about it
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National Developments
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Growth policy
Localism
National Planning Policy Framework
Growth and Infrastructure Bill
New methods of local funding – focus on Community
Infrastructure Levy
• Greater development freedoms
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Planning in Hertfordshire today
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Infrastructure planning and delivery
Securing developer contributions
Local Planning
The challenge of planning across boundaries
Neighbourhood Planning – and local delivery
The Local Enterprise Partnership
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Growth and Localism
• PM/DPM/Pickles announcements in September
• Heseltine paper
• Removal of Strategic Planning layer – Regional Spatial
Strategies
• Duty to Co-operate
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The Growth and Infrastructure Bill
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‘Poorly Performing’ authorities (clause 1)
Limiting the information LPAs can require (clause 4)
Reduction in affordable housing requirements (clause 5)
Disposal of land at less than best consideration (clause 6)
Town and Village Greens (clauses 12, 13, 14)
Extending the major infrastructure planning regime
(clause 21)
• Postponement of Business Rates revaluation until 2017
• Various other minor changes
• Are these the solutions to kickstarting the economy?
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Planning – facilitator or hindrance?
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Year
Applications granted (England)
2008/09
83%
2009/10
85%
2010/11
86%
2011/12
87%
Source: DCLG
How is Hertfordshire Doing?
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Source: DCLG
Year to June 2012
Major applications decided
within 13 weeks
Broxbourne
80%
Dacorum
81%
East Herts
55%
Hertsmere
70%
North Herts
59%
St Albans
58%
Stevenage
64%
Three Rivers
93%
Watford
67%
Welwyn Hatfield
65%
Hertfordshire Average
69%
Former NI157 target
60%
Householder development freedoms
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Trailed by the PM and Secretary of State in September
Single storey extensions
Details awaited
Will it make a difference?
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www.planningportal.gov.uk
And now ... The permitted development
Top 10
+++++++++ Stop Press ++++++++++
Government’s consultation on changed to permitted
development issued 12 November 2012, see:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/extendingpermitted-development-rights-for-homeowners-andbusinesses-technical-consultation
New methods of local funding
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Reduction in formula grant
New Homes Bonus
Retention of Business Rates Receipts
Community Infrastructure Levy
Community Infrastructure Levy
• CIL is a levy on all new development to be spent on infrastructure to
support growth
• Charged per square metre of development
• Rates may vary by use and/or geography
• Rates are set by a ‘Charging Authority’ (District Councils)
• CIL will be charged through the Planning process
• Trigger for CIL payment is commencement of development
• CIL will be spent on Infrastructure (flexibility on which projects)
• Meaningful proportion for neighbourhoods
Community Infrastructure Levy
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CIL applied to ‘all buildings into which people normally go’
The rate at which it is applied will vary by use and geography –
and in some cases it will be set at zero
Applies to ‘net additional’ floorspace – change of use and
demolished floorspace not charged so long as in use prior to
development
Affordable housing and other charitable development is exempt
The Council can negotiate a S106 on top of the CIL charge
Discretionary exceptional relief policy:
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S106 > CIL liability
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Payment of both → development unviable
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Relief must not constitute State Aid
Community Infrastructure Levy
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Informed by viability testing and information on infrastructure need
Consideration of other policy objectives
Differential rates must be based on viability evidence, and not
policy objectives
The Council must ‘aim to strike what appears to the charging
authority to be an appropriate balance between meeting all or part
of the infrastructure funding gap and the potential impact of CIL
upon the economic viability of development…’
Rate(s) set out in a Charging Schedule
Where does this leave Hertfordshire?
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• Hertfordshire Infrastructure and Planning
Partnership
• Herts Planning Group
• New Hertfordshire Planning Co-ordinator
• Providing some overarching structure in the ‘new
world’
Planning for new housing
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Duty to Co-operate
“A revised planning system, truly fit for purpose, must offer a
strong mechanism for planning for large areas where strategic
issues are too big in scale or timeframe to be resolved within a
single LPA area”
TCPA
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Strengthening of the duty is welcomed
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Co-operation is already happening in areas facing strategic
scale growth pressures
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But what happens in instances whereby LAs may not share
the same aspirations/responsibilities?
Infrastructure Planning for Hertfordshire
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Hertfordshire Infrastructure and Investment Study
Actions:
1. Infrastructure planning conference
2. Infrastructure projects chest
3. Hertfordshire Strategic Infrastructure Plan
4. Explore infrastructure funding
opportunities
Infrastructure Planning - Issues
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CIL only likely to pay for 20% of the total
Division between local and strategic
CIL will not close the local infrastructure funding
gap
Infrastructure Delivery Plans will be key
Neighbourhood Planning
• Must conform to Local Strategic
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Plan
Prepared by Town and Parish
Councils and other
neighbourhood groups
District Council has a duty to
support
Subject to local referendum –
50% support
If so Local Planning Authority is
compelled to adopt as planning
policy
Neighbourhood Planning - Challenges
The key Question for
communities – what do you
want to achieve?
Neighbourhood Planning - Challenges
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Complexity
Reconciling Local Views
Resources
Council’s duty to support
Light touch independent check
Referendum
Role of Developers
Front Runners Scheme – Grovehill, Hemel
Hempstead
Thank You
Questions