Chamber's P&C Chairman says, "More good news for those with development proposals"

Mike Gibson, Connectivity Associates Ltd and Vice Chair of the Chamber's Property & Construction Committee

Mike Gibson, Chairman of the Chamber's Property and Construction Committee has been looking at the Government’s response to the Heseltine Review in relation to the planning process:

The Government has responded to Lord Heseltine’s report, ‘No Stone Unturned’, by saying that it has powers to intervene, where appropriate, in planning applications at any stage before determination and says that it has asked the Planning Inspectorate to divert resources towards prioritising all major economic and housing related appeals, to ensure that applicants receive a response in the quickest possible time.

The Government has also recently consulted on options to speed up planning appeals and for a new fast-track procedure for some small commercial appeals.

The Government agrees with Lord Heseltine on Local Development Orders (LDOs), saying they will bring speed, certainty and reduced costs to the planning process, and is currently in discussion with the Local Government Association to streamline the process for making LDOs through the Growth and Infrastructure Bill.

LDOs are an existing planning legislative tool. They can remove the need to apply for planning permission for certain proposals, they are consistent with local determination and they can incentivise development in a way that meets a whole range of locally specific policy objectives. So it’s good to hear that the Government will be encouraging local authorities across the country to make better use of LDOs in the future.

The Government reaffirms that it will continue to make use of existing tools to simplify the planning application process and speed up decisions, including those that can help to support investment in Enterprise Zones, with the use of Special Development Orders (SDOs) for larger developments where appropriate.

This is more welcome news for the development industry. Let’s all hope that Councils take on board these initiatives to speed up the planning process and reduce bureaucracy.

Mike Gibson, Chair of the Chamber's Property & Construction Committee and Director of Connectivity Associates Ltd. Mike@connectivityassociates.com