Planning minister Lord Falconer has confirmed that higher planning obligation tariffs for greenfield developments will be used to fund the regeneration of derelict areas.
Speaking at a British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) conference in Bristol last week, Falconer said that higher tariffs for developers of greenfield sites would be invested in the regeneration of local brownfield areas rather than improvements to the immediately surrounding location.
Falconer said: “The benefit of planning gain can be spread, helping communities that might not get the immediate benefits of development.”
Applying the principle to the Bristol region, Falconer said: “Tariffs on developments in Clifton or other areas pay for much-needed rebuilding and regeneration of other areas like St Paul’s.”
According to government statistics, St Paul’s, located around half a mile away from Clifton, is one of the country’s most deprived areas.
The government’s decision to scrap the current planning obligations system and introduce tariffs has met with considerable opposition from planners, developers and the BPF, which said it was essentially a stealth tax and unrelated to the immediate impact of the development.
Under the government’s plans, announced in December of last year, community benefit tariffs will be set at a local level, outlining in advance the level of contribution developers will have to make if planning is granted for their schemes. Planning authorities would be obliged to state their standard tariff in local development plans.
EGi News 18/02/02
