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The ever changing Planning System
Planning
A combination of the continuing economic recession and recognised shortage of housing across the country in 2012, resulted in a flurry of implemented and proposed changes to how the Planning System operates in this country.
Having been elected on the back of a Localism agenda to take full and proper account of local communities thoughts and desires, and allowing power for planning matters to be resolved at a local rather than a national level, the Government appear to have acknowl- edged in recent times that such an approach is not always conductive to the additional growth and development that the country needs.
As a result, whilst Neighbourhood Planning gathers force in parts of the country, allowing local communities to propose and introduce an additional tier of guidance on planning decisions within their local area, at the other end of the spectrum there are now also calls from the Government, through the Growth and Infrastructure Bill, to take decision making powers on applications away from poorly performing local authorities and hand them over to the Planning Inspectorate.
The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) was introduced in March 2012, with the stated presumption in favour of sustainable development. This has been effective in some instances in providing stronger support for housing, in particular when Councils have been unable to demonstrate they have sufficient housing land supply to provide properly for their area for the years ahead. It has however often been necessary for such proposals to be taken to appeal before the necessary planning consent can be gained. Many local authorities have continued to follow previous approaches of resisting development in response to local objections, without taking proper account of the requirements for such housing. Whereas historically local authorities were able to point towards Regional housing figures that they could say had been imposed upon them, the responsibility now falls upon the local authorities to identify their housing requirement, and not surprisingly many authorities are keen to suggest that such a requirement is lower than housing need and demographic statistics suggest.
One element of the NPPF that is likely to have an increasing affect on all scales of development is the continued encouragement of local consultation prior to the submission of a planning application. The developer is encouraged to consult with the local community, and then demonstrate within their planning application how local views have been taken into account in the proposed scheme. If they can do so, this should be looked upon positively by the decision makers.
The ever changing planning world has created uncertainty for many developers, but in many instances it has already provided opportunities to bring sites forward for development that might not have existed before. Pegasus Group assists clients across the country, ranging from individual landowners to national housebuilders, in ensuring that such opportunities are properly explored and achieved. Projects range from individual dwellings up to major town expansion schemes, and in response to the changing planning environment referred to above, we now include specialist Consultation, Sustainability and Renewable Energy teams, in addition to our Planning, Environmental and Urban Design expertise.
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www.pegasuspg.co.uk
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