The government has announced proposals to further reduce red tape in the planning system, which could save the economy up to £300m pa.
The key proposals published today are set out in the government’s response to the Killian Pretty report. The five themes that the government is keen to work on are:
? reducing the number of small-scale developments requiring full planning permission, which could potentially reduce minor business and non-residential applications by 40% or make them subject to a quicker and simpler system;
? making the planning application process more efficient and effective;
? improving the quality of information available to users of the planning application system;
? improving local authority capacity and performance in the planning process; and
? streamlining the national planning policy framework.
By removing smaller applications from the system, the government expects local authorities to have increased time and resources to focus on major applications. It also wants developers and councils to discuss proposals before a planning application is submitted to iron out potential problems as early as possible.
Commenting on the proposals, housing and planning minister Margaret Beckett said:
“In these difficult economic times, we need to reduce the burden on businesses and small shops and ensure that the planning system is not stifling economic recovery.
“Creating a more proportionate and efficient planning application system means we are more likely to have crucial development and infrastructure in place when the economic upturn comes.
“These proposals will cut red tape and tackle the delays that businesses and councils often find exasperating and costly, and they could save up to £300m pa by building a more effective and cost-efficient planning system.”
John Wright, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:
“The FSB welcomes moves to simplify the planning system, which can be incredibly time-consuming and burdensome for small businesses. What small firms really need at this time are clarity and fast responses from planning authorities so that they can move ahead with plans to extend or change their premises to enable them to grow and flourish.”
The government is to consult on the main proposals in the summer. These include:
? extending permitted development rights for commercial properties: businesses, shops, hospitals and schools will no longer need to pay the costs for (approximately £2000), or wait for weeks to obtain, permission to start building small-scale extensions. For example, shops and offices would be able to extend by up to 50m2 without the need for planning permission in most cases;
? identifying opportunities for other small developments, such as the replacement of shopfronts and ATMs, to be subject to a faster and simpler process; for example, allowing councils 28 days to consider the application and only certain issues;
? reducing the information burden on councils and developers by producing guidance on what councils need to know and reducing the amount of unnecessary paperwork; and
? possible changes to allow councils greater flexibility on how to notify the public regarding planning applications.
In the autumn, the government plans to consult on improving the use of planning conditions and on the additional requirements that councils impose on developments, such as restricting the number of car-parking spaces provided in a development and the way in which they are discharged to encourage a more proportionate and effective approach.
View the government’s response.
