Prime Minister Boris Johnson has set out his plan for re-starting the economy after it was placed into hibernation during the coronavirus crisis, with house building and planning reform set to play a central role.
In his speech, Mr Johnson set out his intention to deliver the most radical reforms to the planning system since it was introduced in 1947. The focus of those reforms will be to enable us to “build, build, build” to tackle the housing crisis and to reduce the red-tape required by the current planning system - typified by “newt-counting” according to the Mr Johnson.
A Policy Paper setting out the nature of those reforms is promised by July, but we’re starting to get the first hints of what it will contain.
Permitted Development Rights (PDR) - which allow some types of development to take place without planning permission - look set to be widened. This has already been happening gradually - with a right to convert offices to flats introduced recently, for instance - but the changes look set to take PDR beyond simple conversions to cover complete demolition and re-build too. To address concerns about the quality of homes delivered - one particularly maligned example is a development where some flats have no windows - the government is also updating Building Regulations. Providing natural light, for example, will now be a requirement.
Design quality also seems likely to be a focus of the reforms. In 2018 the government established the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission to consider how the quality of new housing developments can be improved. That has already resulted in a new National Design Guide, while ministers have repeatedly stated that well-designed schemes should be approved more quickly.
The speed of decision making is another the government is looking to improve, especially in respect of the appeal system. The recent Rosewell reforms have already seen significant improvements in that regard, but the government looks set to go further still, allowing the Planning Inspectorate to “mix-and-match” procedures for the same appeal. Controversial or complex issues might still be considered at a public inquiry, while more straight forward elements of the same appeal would be dealt with through written statements.
The biggest change of all is rumoured to be a shift away for the current discretionary planning system - where every proposal is considered on its own merits - to a zonal planning system which is more rules based. The objective of such a change would be to increase certainty. Currently, every single planning application is independently scrutinised and permission is at the discretion of the local planning authority. With a zonal system, different areas of towns and cities would be designated as being suitable for particular types of uses. Planning applications would have to be approved if they were for a “zoned use” and conformed with a set of design rules.
A recent paper from Centre for Cities set out how such an approach could work, while No. 10 planning advisor Jack Airey proposed a similar system earlier this year during his time at Policy Exchange. While both approaches are essentially zonal, the differences between them illustrates the broad range of zonal systems that could be introduced. Zones could cover a wide variety of uses or very specific ones. There could be lots of zones or just a few. They could cover just existing built up areas or the whole country. A discretionary system could still operate for proposals that fall outside the zoned uses.
There is some way to go before any changes become reality. Once the detail is made clear, there will be an inevitable backlash from anti-development groups. While the precise form of the changes remains to be seen, the government's appetite for reform - and building more homes - is obvious.
The government's efforts to boost the supply of homes provides an opportunity for land owners to secure planning permission on sites they might not previously have considered suitable.
Whether submitting a planning application, securing a development allocation for your site in a local plan or making sure your site is designated in the right zone of a zonal system, The Strategic Land Group can help you realise the potential of your land.
As a specialist land promoter, we have more than a decade’s experience in delivering planning permission for new homes. We do that at our cost and risk. Our fee is a share of the value of the site once it is sold so if we don't succeed, it doesn't cost you anything.
If you know of a site that might be suitable for development, get in touch today for a free, no obligation appraisal.
