The Queen’s speech to Parliament in May 2021 set out dramatic changes which are likely to be implemented in respect of the planning system.
The new Planning Bill, due to be put before Parliament in the autumn of 2021, is set to put into statute the planning reforms of the summer of 2020 when the prime minister stated that he wanted to ‘level the foundations’ of planning and put in place an entirely new system
The new proposals
The bill intends to allow more homes to be built with fewer planning restrictions to help meet the government’s housebuilding target of 300,000 new homes per year.
Power to approve planning will be removed from local authorities where housing developments meet specified standards.
Land will be zoned as either ‘growth’, ‘protection’ or ‘renewal’, with councils unable to refuse any planning applications in the ‘growth’ areas provided they meet local rules.
This extends beyond housing to shops, offices, schools and hospitals.
The section 106 system, whereby concessions are made by the builder to make a planning proposal acceptable, is set to be abolished and replaced by a new infrastructure levy.
Other changes
The bill proposes a move to a digital and map-based planning system, rather than a document-based one, with the hope of encouraging residents to be more engaged with local development rather than opposed to it.
It is hoped to make changes to local plans to provide more certainty over the design and type of development that will be permitted.
The bill will use ‘post-Brexit freedoms to simplify and enhance the framework for environmental assessments for developments’.
Response
The bill is clearly set to be controversial. Mike Derbyshire, head of planning at property consultancy Bidwells, said: “While we’re pleased to see the Government re-commit to sweeping reforms of the planning system, accelerated measures that translate these proposals into much needed legislation will be vital. This isn’t the time for dither or delay.
“Buoyed by the Conservatives’ success in last week’s by-elections, Boris Johnson will of course want to make it easier to build homes, particularly in the north, as he looks to level-up the UK.”
Tom Fyans, campaigns and policy director of the Campaign to Protect Rural England said the Planning Bill “risks creating a free-for-all for development.
“We know from painful experience that, without the right checks and balances in the planning process, developments can lead to a huge and unnecessary loss of countryside while doing nothing to tackle the affordable housing crisis or level up.”
With the government set to push the bill through to enable more building across the country, the planning system looks set to change beyond recognition.
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