savills.com

Hertfordshire Housing Conference

Planning Reform: Five Key Messages

David Henry, Planning Director, Savills (L&P) Limited

Five Key Messages:

It’s the economy, stupid.

Is less more?

It’s all in the delivery.

For some, it’s life in the fast lane.

Failure is not an option.

Message 1 – It’s the economy, stupid.

“We must cut through the bureaucracy holding back growth...that starts with getting the planners off our backs” - David Cameron, 7 September 2012

“I think we can speed up planning...in the current environment, we cannot afford to wait years for development” - George Osborne, 2 September 2012

“Britain is in a global race...we will only be able to compete if we make it easier for business to invest and quicker for infrastructure to get built” - Nick Boles, 18 October 2012

“Countless jobs are tied up in the filing cabinets of the planning machine” – Michael Heseltine, 31 October 2012.

Message 1: It’s the economy, stupid.

Message 2: Is less, more?

NPPF – 1,000 pages of national guidance now reduced to 49.

Circulars – 6,000 pages now being culled via the Taylor Review. Most to go?

Announcement in Autumn Statement ( 5 December, George Osborne)

Will this lead to more appeals and legal cases?

Or will it free up and speed up decision making?

Message 3: It’s all in the delivery

Message 3: It’s all in the delivery

Measures introduced to re-negotiate commercially unviable S.106 Agreements.

Affordable Housing “if we have a 50% target and nothing is built, 50% of nothing is nothing”. – Eric Pickles, 5 November 2012

Flexibility is being encouraged “to get the whole process moving” – EP, 5 November 2012

Also, we still operate under a statutory, ‘plan-led’ system. But....

... Plan making is often still in the slow lane.

... By April 2012, only 42% of English authorities had up to date adopted LDF’s/Local Plans.

Message 3: It’s all in the delivery

Authority Adopted Emerging

Broxbourne LP, 2005 LP, 2014

Dacorum LP, 2004 Core Strategy, 2013

East Herts LP, 2007 LP, 2013 - 2014

Hertsmere LP, 2003 Core Strategy, 2013

North Herts LP,1996 Core Strategy, 2014

St Albans LP, 1994 LP, 2013 - 2014

Stevenage LP, 2004 LP, 2015

Three Rivers CS, 2011 Dev Man, 2013

Watford LP, 2003 Core Strategy, 2013

Welwyn LP, 2005 Core Strategy, 2013 - 2014

Message 4: For some, it’s life in the fast lane

Planning Act 2008 – set up a streamlined system for major infrastructure projects.

Decided via Government/Planning Inspectorate

Growth and Infrastructure Bill (current)

Proposes expanding this to include other ‘essential development’.

This could cover commercial, but not residential schemes.

However, SoS may instead call in housing schemes ‘more’ housing schemes.

Message 5: Failure is not an option

Growth and Infrastructure Bill

Will allow applications direct to PINS (Inspectorate) if Councils have a poor track record in the speed of decisions or the proportion of decisions overturned on appeal.

Also, the appeals system is being increasingly used. For example, SoS decision at Stratford-in-Avon (October 2012). Prematurity given little weight in order to meet ‘a significant unmet need’ for housing in the district.

“Planning is a means to an end, not an end in itself”. – Eric Pickles, June 2012.