Planning system given major shake up
Planning laws were given a major shake up yesterday, with Communities and Local Government Secretary Ruth Kelly replacing large planning inquiries with a national independent commission.
Reforms outlined in her Planning White Paper would also reduce the amount of time needed to gain approval for major infrastructure projects and minor developments no longer require planning permission if there is little impact on neighbours.
Ms Kelly hopes to make the "incredibly difficult planning system" simpler and more accessible for everyone, slashing red tape for simple home improvements such as adding a conservatory or converting a loft. Installing energy efficiency measures and green supplies in the home will also become a lot easier.
A survey conducted by propertyfinder.com that looked at public attitudes towards the planning process and new residential developments confirmed the need for these changes.
The majority of respondents who had been involved in a planning application found it overcomplicated, hard to understand, and involving too much red tape. 67.9% of people said the process takes too long, but only half felt that enough consideration was given to local objections.
New measures will introduce an "impact test" that will replace rules on how much extra floor area is permitted before formal permission is required.
On a larger scale, reforms will see the final decision on major planning projects, such as airport terminals and power stations taken by an independent commission - made up of planners, lawyers and environmentalists - rather than ministers.
The Independent Planning Commission (IPC) would look at the potential local impact of these large projects, such as on air quality, noise and traffic problems.
Ms Kelly commented:
If you take a major infrastructure project like terminal five at Heathrow - that took seven years to go through the planning application process - it had to be considered under 37 different applications, seven different pieces of legislation. Now, local people find that an incredibly difficulty planning system to manage. The system that we want to set up is one that is much simpler to understand, and where the public is locked in at every stage of the consultation process.
However, some feel there is a danger that the new system would "strip democratic accountability out of the planning system" and Neil Sinden, policy director at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is not as reassured as he would like to be about these safeguards.
He added:
The planning system is there to help us debate issues. Inquiries do take time, these issues are complex. We need to balance national and local issues.
Hugh Ellis of Friends of the Earth continued:
The planning white paper will give the green light to massive new developments while stripping away opportunities for affected communities or the wider public to input on decisions. This is policy making at its worse. It will destroy local communities and exacerbate climate change.
The chairman of Local Government Association, Lord Bruce Lockhart agrees a less bureaucratic system was needed and that is exactly what Ms Kelly is hoping to achieve, in supporting people's aspirations to improve their homes, while retaining safeguards on noise, sighting and size to protect their neighbours.
The level of private planning applications have more than doubled since 1995 to almost 330,000 per year, and ministers are hoping to reduce this number citing them as 'costly and cumbersome to home owners'.
Ms Kelly confirmed:
The new system will replace over eight different planning regimes and could save more than £1 billion within 10 years. It will create the legal framework to meet the country's key infrastructire needs for the next 10 to 25 years.
Key Proposals
Long-term "national planning statements" by ministers
Independent commission to replace large planning inquiries
Quicker home improvement applications and appeals
Planning permission not needed for small projects where no impact on neighbours
Policies to keep "vibrant" town centres
Developers legally obliged to consult public
