Local authorities may soon be able to withdraw planning permission from consented schemes more easily under new proposals revealed in the Housing White Paper today.
Developers’ track records on previous schemes may also become a formal part of the planning process.
In an effort to speed up development after consent is granted, the government is looking into amending planning policy to allow authorities to stipulate development within two years, rather than three.
Where no significant progress is made, it will simplify the completion notice process, which allows them to withdraw planning permissions.
Alongside this, it is considering an assessment of an applicant’s track record to be part of the planning process for new schemes.
The White Paper said: “We would intend for it to be used only in considering applications for large-scale sites, where the applicant is a major developer, as we don’t want to deter new entrants. But we would like to explore whether an applicant’s track record of strong or poor delivery may potentially be relevant.”
As part of the changes, the CPO process will be made simpler to allow local authorities the Homes and Communities Agency to progress stalled sites.
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