National Planning Forum

1
Barker Review of Land Use Planning

• National Planning Forum

2
Interim report findings

• Interim report set out strengths and weaknesses
  of the English planning system, focusing on
  impact on the economy
• Planning can improve economic outcomes e.g.
  certainty for business about how an area will
  develop
• More still to do to ensure efficient processes
  (speed, quality, certainty) responsiveness and
  efficient use of land
• Context of recent reforms and related reviews
  Stern, Eddington, Lyons

3
Reducing costs

• Streamlining planning policies to provide more
  transparent framework- guidance should be
  produced more quickly
• More risk-based approach to information that
  accompanies planning applications
• Extending permitted development rights and new
  voluntary system of side-agreements
• A faster appeals service, supported by a Planning
  Mediation Service to reduce demand from current
  23,000 cases per year
• Reducing nos of call-in directions and numbers
  called-in by 50

4
Delivering major infrastructure

• New national Statements of Strategic Objectives
  eg on areas including transport, energy, water
  and waste
• New independent Planning Commission to act as
  decision-maker, bringing expertise and
  speeding-up decision-making
• Clear processes needed for consultation on SSOs
  and at the decision-making stage
• Timetabling of Ministerial cases as an interim
  measure, to minimise delays at this final stage
  of decision-making

5
Improving responsiveness

• New PPS4 - use of market/price signals, and more
  mixed-use
• Where plans are indeterminate applications should
  proceed unless there is good reason to believe
  that costs outweigh benefits
• Reforming local plan-making so that plans are
  delivered in 18-24 months not 36-42
• Support town-centre first policy but remove
  requirement to demonstrate need
• Providing incentives for local authorities to
  foster economic growth, in the context of the
  Lyons Inquiry

6
Improving performance

• Encourage pre-application discussions
• Roll-out of planning delivery agreements
• Explore raising 50k cap on planning fees
• Maintaining PDG beyond 07/08
• Enhance skills and resources eg funding for
  PAS expanded role for ATLAS
• Better and earlier engagement by/with statutory
  consultees
• New powers for PINS to determine appeal route and
  cost recovery

7
More efficient use of land

• Need to make best use of available land
  increasing population climate change impacts on
  land-use
• Recommended reform of empty property relief to
  encourage efficient use of land in urban areas
• Green belt boundary reviews ensure land
  available in most sustainable location
• Potential for green wedge/corridor approach,
  alongside improving quality of green belt by a
  positive approach to applications that would
  enhance the surrounding area such as
  publicly-accessible woodland

8
Summary

• Recommendations aim to
• improve efficiency (speed and transparency) of
  the planning system
• enhance its responsiveness and
• ensure a more efficient use of land
• A report setting out progress should be published
  at the end of 2009