Practical or pointless: UK government announces more radical planning reforms
“Not more fiddling around the edges, not simply painting over the damp patches, but levelling the foundations and building, from the ground up, a whole new planning system for England.”
- Boris Johnson
As the Government announces even more changes to England’s planning system - referred to by Boris as “radical reform unlike anything we have seen since the Second World War” - our team and our clients are understandably questioning how we’re all going to be affected.
(Now bear with us. This post is going to be a lot longer than our usual ones! But there’s so much to talk about here and we don’t want to leave anything out.)
We deal with planning applications on a daily basis, dealing with local authorities across the East Midlands. It’s usually a fairly straightforward affair, with the majority of applications approved and within 8-10 weeks. Lately, though, thanks to the pressures of COVID-19, we’ve been experiencing multiple delays.
And the pandemic has clearly got the Government thinking as well:
“With so many people spending more time at home than ever before, we have come to know our homes, gardens and local parks more intimately. For some this has been a welcome opportunity to spend more time in the place they call home with the people they love. For others – those in small, substandard homes, those unable to walk to distant shops or parks, those struggling to pay their rent, or indeed for those who do not have a home of their own at all – this has been a moment where longstanding issues in our development and planning system have come to the fore.”
- Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State
In our previous blog about the planning reforms, we voiced our - and others’ - concerns that while these changes will most likely make the planning process simpler and easier, it may lead the way for more substandard homes to be built.
But the release of this 84-page white paper by the Government earlier this month has expanded on what the new reforms will entail, and the benefits they will bring.
The new rules
Under the new rules, land will be designated to one of three categories:
Growth - where outline approval for development would be automatically secured, but only for those types of development specified in the Local Plan.
Renewal - where some development would be suitable.
Protection - where development is restricted.
The new planning overhaul will allow automatic planning permission for new homes, schools, shops and offices. It’s a planning revolution that will force local authorities to allocate land for developments that will then not have to go through full planning permission, with the Government insisting that “[they] are cutting red tape, not standards”.
However, critics of the new plans including RIBA and Shelter, have said that the move would lead to poor quality new houses being built in areas without adequate public services, as mentioned in our previous blog, PPCo’s take on the new, relaxed planning regulations.
RIBA president Alan Jones has called for the Government to “urgently reconsider”. He says: ‘We urgently need a broad mix of sustainable housing - but it looks as though this will deliver the opposite.”
Yes, there is a lack of affordable housing and a generational divide. But is the planning system to blame?
According to Boris, it is:
Thanks to our planning system, we have nowhere near enough homes in the right places. People cannot afford to move to where their talents can be matched with opportunity. Businesses cannot afford to grow and create jobs. The whole thing is beginning to crumble and the time has come to do what too many have for too long lacked the courage to do – tear it down and start again…
- Boris Johnson
But we don’t feel that way. And it appears we’ve got company.
James Jameson, chair of the Local Government Association, says: “It’s a myth that planning is a barrier to house building. Nine in 10 planning applications are approved by councils, while more than a million homes given planning permission in the last decade have not yet been built.”
Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, says planning permission is not what is stopping England from getting high quality, genuinely affordable homes built - a lack of Government investment is.
What does this mean for you as a homeowner?
The new reforms appear to be very much about development of new homes, rather than the extending of existing homes. So what does all this mean for the average homeowner who’s decided they need a bit of extra space in their existing property?
The Government is proposing to widen and change permitted development rules, to fast track the approval of popular and smaller, more simple forms of development. A greater use of digital technology and data will hopefully make decision-making faster and more certain with firmer deadlines rather than target dates (though, it’s still likely to be the well-established 8-10 weeks) and shorter, more standardised applications.
There’s also talk of incentives for planning authorities to determine an application within the statutory time limits, such as automatic refunds of the planning fee to the applicant or automatic granting of applications if there is no timely determination.
So, it may become quicker and easier to build a larger home extension, or extend upwards - in time. In the short term, it’s not likely to change much.
Other new changes that MPs are proposing involve devolving power to councils to set planning fees locally with a national minimum rate. This could allow local authorities to expand, with more planning officers on board, which could, in turn, shorten the planning process. But, it could lead to unfairness across neighbouring council areas, with those from lower-income households potentially cut off from being able to afford to develop their homes. At the moment, the system, which has a flat rate in England for each level of permission required, does not discriminate.
_____________________________________
We’re undecided on it all. For us, the main concern is now; will planning reforms relieve pressure on councils? Will our clients have to wait longer than 8-10 weeks? Or will the implementation of these new policies add stress for everyone involved?
As we’ve said previously, we’re all for making changes that make the planning process quicker and less complicated for us and our clients. and we hope these reforms will, in time, lead to better housing for all.
But for now, we’ll continue to work with and support local authorities to achieve positive results for our clients’ applications.
If you need help with planning permission or wish to chat about the best way to extend your home under permitted development, please contact our team today on 0115 874 8570 or email hello@practicalplanningco.co.uk.