Marine Planning Scoping Workshop – Overview of reforms to the terrestrial planning system in England

University College London 23 November 2010

Eamon Mythen

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.

Localism

• Help set the foundations for the Big Society by radically transforming the relationships between central government, local government, communities and individuals.

• Decisions should be taken as closely as possible to the people they affect.

• Localism can also mean allowing local people to set priorities and become involved in decisions about the future of their area.

• Devolve greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and give local communities control over housing and planning decisions.

• There are a number of measures that will require legislation and will be included in the Localism Bill.

Planning is at the heart of the Big Society

Planning issues can mobilise communities more than any other issue.

• People feel a sense of powerlessness • People want to see more homes built – esp affordable

homes and small developments

Source: MORI – Attitudes to Housing and Planning, 2010

Vision of Open Source Planning

• Planning at neighbourhood level.

• Plan based not development management based.

• Presumption in favour of sustainable development.

• But also pro-development.

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• Top down, target driven model hasn’t worked.

• Controversial with Local Authorities & local people.

• Plan making slower than expected.

• Need to make localism work.

Why Localism?

Plan Led System Going Forward

Planning framework

• Infrastructure of national significance.

• National policy.

• Local plans drawn up in conformity.

• De-regulation.

• Accountability.

Infrastructure of national significance

• Modern energy and transport infrastructure is vital – it is the backbone of the UK economy and critical for growth.

• We need to speed up the planning system and deliver new infrastructure. But there need to be proper democratic checks and balances.

• Introduce a system where democratically elected Ministers take these crucial planning decisions.

• Abolish the Infrastructure Planning Commission but retain a fast-track planning system for major projects through new Unit within PINS.

• Bring forward National Policy Statements for ratification by Parliament.

National Planning Policy Framework

• Over 150+ planning documents consisting of a combined total of around 7,000 pages of policy and guidance.

• Simple and consolidated National Planning Policy Framework.

• Shorter and less prescriptive than the current suite of PPGs / PPSs.

• Will include all the policy areas they cover, as well as relevant circulars.

• Route to the presumption in favour of sustainable development.

• Ministers have indicated keen to get partners to contribute to the drafting of NPPF.

Duty to Cooperate

A duty to cooperate that will require local authorities and other public bodies to co-operate with each other. The bodies will be defined in Regulations.

Cooperation includes constructive and active engagement as part of a continual process to maximise effective working on development planning for strategic issuesthat cross administrative boundaries and the preparation of development planDocuments.

Cooperation will include responding to consultation and providing information whenrequested on infrastructure and any other matters that may be defined in Regulations.

The Localism Bill will provide for the Secretary of State to issue statutory guidanceon how local authorities and other bodies should comply with the duty to cooperate.

Radical reform of the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live.

• Empower communities to take control of their areas.

• Incentivise communities to come together and plan what they want.

• Inspire innovation and creativity in communities.

• Restore the idea that development can be a force for good, rather than something to be resisted at all costs.

Planning at neighbourhood level

Open and responsive approach to planning applications

• Greater collaboration between various parties reflected in the final scheme.

• For major schemes require that communities are involved in collaborative design prior to application.

• Immediate neighbours and town and parish councils given a stronger role in planning applications.

Capturing benefits & incentives

• Taking the time to carefully consider the future of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to offer a fairer, transparent and efficient way of securing developer contributions towards the cost of providing infrastructure.

• Housing and Planning Delivery Grant failed as it was too complicated and target driven.

• Commitment to providing local authorities with real incentives to build new homes and support business growth.

• Introducing these incentives will be a priority and we aim to do so early in the Spending Review period.

• Consulting on the detail later this year.

Fair play in the planning system

• Minister keen to crack down on those who flout the system.

• Local community control over enforcement priorities.

• Stronger powers to tackle unauthorised development.

• Limit retrospective applications.

• Tackle misleading applications.

De-regulation and cutting red tape

In addition to the reform of plan making, work has begun to simplify regulation and reduce central control:

• Launched the Cut Red Tape initiative (June 2010), inviting members of the public to identify planning and housing legislation that could be revoked.

• Put an end to unwanted 'garden grabbing‘ and national minimum density target.

• Consolidated Development Management Procedure Order 2010 – bringing 16 SI together in one place with a logical structure.

• Consulting on the consolidation and amendments to the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations including plans to remove 'gold-plating' for multi-stage consents.

Accountability for performance

• Abolished the Comprehensive Area Assessment and will reduce inspection burdens.

• Considering how best to move to a system where local authorities report performance primarily to local people.

• Local councils and other delivery partners should answer to local people for the spending decisions they make, and the quality of services they provide.

• The public must be able to hold local authorities to account through more transparent data.