The RICS has condemned the government’s proposals to introduce national planning tariffs to replace section 106 agreements.
In its official response to the government’s planning green paper, which closed for consultation on Monday, the RICS said that “such a system would be inflexible, could not respond to particular regional or local circumstances, and would be opposed by the RICS”.
It added: “A locally determined, tariff-based system, as proposed in the consultation, would allow greater flexibility than tariffs set at the national level.”
The RICS believes that the proposals outlined in the paper are “too simplistic”, and would not take into account marginal areas or regeneration schemes. It said a more complex system would “be achievable in the long-term following further research”.
The RICS said that its preferred option, to retain the current system but modify it to make it quicker, more certain and more transparent, was disregarded in the consultation.
EGi News 19/03/02
