The government has scrapped a policy that would have forced developers to formally consult communities in order to get planning consent.
Under the governments original proposals, developers would be granted planning approval only if they completed Statements of Community Involvement, which would involve lengthy pre-application consultation with communities.
But speaking at a meeting of the standing committee for the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill last week, planning minister Tony McNulty said SCIs would not be a material consideration in determining a planning application.
“Developers will not face any sanctions if they do not comply,” he said.
“However, we will encourage developers to undertake such consultation on the basis that it will improve the quality of planning applications and may smooth the path to planning permission.”
Instead, the government is considering giving local authorities the power to consult on behalf of applicants.
Mike Gallimore, planning partner at Lovells, said: “There has been a fear that this would have been translated into a requirement on developers and that the local authorities would reject applications that hadnt gone through a rigid, formal routine. A formal process like this would have slowed things down exponentially.”
But Stephen Byfield, chief executive of political planning consultancy PPS, warned that community lobbyists would fight the change.
“The government has already ruled out giving communities the right to seek appeal on planning decisions and this concession is likely to turn pre-submission consultation into a largely cosmetic exercise. It will mean that far less weight is given to community views.”
EGi News 27/01/03
