Last week the Government published its White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ detailing its plans to change the planning system in England.
In what they describe as ‘radical reform unlike anything we have seen since the Second World War’, the Government has proposed the following changes:
- Local Plans will set out to identify three land categories – growth, renewal and protected-with specific requirements listed for selected sites and locally produced design codes and a strict timetable of 30 months in place for Local Authorities and the Planning Inspectorate to finalise these details and all areas required to have one in place.
- Developments could be given automatic planning permission in principal if they are based within identified growth areas and meet the local plan specifications.
- Modernising the planning process to make it more accessible digitally for both those seeking to gain planning consent and those wanting to comment on planning applications submitted.
- The Community Infrastructure Levy will be replaced by the Infrastructure Levy which will be a valued-based charge for developers.
- Ambitions to reach carbon-neutral targets.
- The First Homes Scheme will provide newly-built homes at a 30% discount for local people, key workers and first-time buyers. The discount will be locked into the home in perpetuity, ensuring future buyers can continue to benefit from it.
The consultation is now online for comment – https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future until 29 October 2020.
