Transcript National Planning Policy Framework: Next Steps

The Government’s vision
Freedom, Fairness and Responsibility
•
Fundamental change in the
relationship between citizens
and the state.
•
Individuals and communities
have more power and
responsibility.
•
Freedom from top-down
controls.
•
Extending transparency to
every area of public life.
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What it means for Planning
Reform to achieve…
• Greater democratic and local control
• Positive planning - a system in favour of sustainable
development
• Greater simplicity and effectiveness
Delivering…
A plan-led system that empowers local people to shape their
surroundings whilst facilitating sustainable growth and
encouraging the idea that development can positively benefit a
community. Positive, proactive, simple.
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But why?
Good planning makes for great communities but the planning
system has its problems, it:
• is centralised, bureaucratic and complex – 3,254 new
pages of guidance since 2005 alone;
• is costly – over £2bn a year - 13 per cent more in real terms
last year than five years ago - despite 32 per cent drop in
applications received;
• can alienate and disempower communities – many will
seek to resist development regardless of the circumstances of
the potential wider benefit; and
• struggles to deliver - costs to the economy associated with
delays in processing applications up to £3bn a year.
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Planning Reform: Actions
• The Localism Bill
• The National Planning Policy Framework –
including the Presumption in Favour of
Sustainable Development
• The Growth Review and subsequent changes
to the system
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Localism Bill
• Decentralises power and responsibility to shape places
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Abolition of Regional Strategies
A new duty to cooperate – LAs must address cross
boundary issues in their plans
A new permissive regime of neighbourhood plans – that
must fit with local plans
CIL to become more of a local incentive – alongside the
New Homes Bonus
Abolition of the IPC and return of decision making on major
infrastructure to Ministers
• Shift from central targets to local drivers and incentives
• Results in a much greater emphasis on importance of local
plans – the strategic plan
National Planning Policy
Framework
Draft Framework distils over 1,000
pages of National Planning Policy –
to 52 pages.
Objectives:
- To streamline national planning
policy and make it more accessible
- To promote sustainable growth
- To protect and enhance the natural
and historic environment
Highlights
Delivering sustainable development: the presumption in favour
of sustainable development - emphasising the importance of an
up to date plan and of planning positively to meet objectively
assessed development needs
Plan-making and development management: requirement to
set out strategic priorities, in cooperation with other authorities;
new viability assessment; ability to review plans in whole or
part to respond flexibly to changing circumstances
Planning for prosperity: strong commitment to “town centre first”
policy; flexible approach to non-residential car-parking;
facilitating growth of new and existing telecommunication
systems.
Highlights
Planning for people: plan to meet the full requirements for
market and affordable housing; maintain a 5-year rolling supply
of deliverable sites, plus at least 20%; ensure high quality and
inclusive design; maintain Green Belt protections
Planning for place: supportive framework for low carbon and
renewable energy; maintain existing policy on development in
areas of flood risk; plan positively for networks of biodiversity
and green infrastructure; maintain strong protections of
AONBs, SSSIs, National Parks; maintain current historic
environment protections
NPPF needs to be read and interpreted as a whole
Growth Review
The Growth Review builds on the Localism Bill and NPPF:
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Written Ministerial statement on economic development and Presumption
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Review of Use Classes Order
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Business involvement in Neighbourhood Planning
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Pilots of elements of land auctions model on public sector land
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Allowing LAs freedom to identify land for development and removing
centralised Brownfield land targets
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Enterprise zones – simplified planning areas (using LDOs)
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‘Planning guarantee’ and simplification of the regime for determining
planning applications
Next Steps …
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Localism Bill…
Finished Lords Committee stage before Recess. Lords
Report stage under way. Aiming for Enactment around
the end of the year subject to Parliamentary time.
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NPPF…
Consultation closes on 17 October. Aim to finalise by
end of year if possible.
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Growth Review…
Large number of work streams delivering to different
timescales – adding up to fundamental change to the
planning system by this time next year!
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