If recent media reports are correct, the government is preparing to fundamentally reform the English planning system. The prospect of reform hasn’t been well received by everyone. Those that traditionally oppose development have responded with claims that any change to the status quo would be little more than a developer’s charter. Many in the planning profession believe that planning and planners aren’t the problem - that we really need more of both, perhaps with some tweaks to the current system.
Here are just some of the reasons why reform is needed - and overdue.
The local plan is meant to sit at the heart of the planning system, explaining what development is acceptable and where. Yet - eight years after the National Planning Policy Framework was introduced - almost half of local authorities still don’t have an up-to-date local plan. York last adopted a local plan in the 1950s.
Even when local plans are in place, they are designed to meet need over a 15-year period. Trying to forecast how much development will be needed that far into the future is a futile task - especially when the assessment is based on what has happened in the past. Predicting economic activity 15 months from now is hard enough - to do so over a 15 year period is impossible.
Compounding that problem is the lack of flexibility in local plans. They tend to plan to deliver exactly the amount of development required - especially in the case of new homes - in order to minimise the amount of land made available for development. Yet we know that 20% of planning permissions are never built - for a variety of reasons including changes in market conditions, the intentions of the land owner or development viability. That is nobody’s fault - it simply reflects that the world is messy and complicated. The consequence is that most local plans are destined to under-deliver on their assessment of need even in the unlikely event that it proves to be accurate.
Here are just some examples of absurdities in the planning system:
It is no wonder that local residents find the system confusing and difficult to understand - contributing to the impression that planning is something that happens to them, rather than with their involvement.
Development planning, transport planning and infrastructure investment all operate independently of each other and to different timescales, making it hard to coordinate between them. That’s despite members of the public citing better infrastructure provision as the number one change that would lead them to support development.
There are more than 300 local planning authorities all producing individual development plans in isolation from each other. While there is a legal requirement that they cooperate with their neighbours, there is no legal requirement that they agree. In practice, that means that they discuss what they’re intending to do, but often make limited (or no) change to incorporate their neighbours’ needs.
For a generation, too few homes have been delivered to meet need. That has resulted in a backlog of around 1,200,000 homes according to the BBC. By pushing up prices, that benefits those who already own homes at the expense of those we do not. It restricts the ability of people to move house, reducing the flexibility of the labour market. Last Christmas, 135,000 children were in temporary accommodation.
It is readily apparent that the current system is in urgent need of reform - but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t plan.
Plans should be flexible and able to respond quickly to changes in need. To provide that flexibility we should allow building on more of those sites that are suitable for development, rather that restricting it to meet an essentially arbitrary assessment of need. There should be less focus on issues that can be dealt with through other control regimes - like building regulations or environmental permits - to free up time and space to focus on the design of new developments. Decisions about the principle of development should be separated from those relating to its form, providing a system that is easier to understand and that local communities can have more confidence in.
We should welcome the opportunity that planning reform provides.
The shortcomings of the current planning system make securing planning permission expensive and challenging. As a specialist land promoter, The Strategic Land Group has more than ten years experience delivering planning permission for new homes before selling sites to developers. That is all done at our cost and risk - our return is a share in the value of the site once it is sold so if we don't succeed, it doesn't cost you anything. If you're aware of a site that you think might have development potential, get in touch today for a free, no obligation consultation.
