Update on planning reform

DCLG Priorities 2 The key DCLG priorities focus on: Driving up housing supply Increasing home ownership Devolving powers and budgets to boost local growth Supporting strong communities with excellent public services Manifesto Commitments - Budget - Productivity Plan

3 Planning reform overview NPPF and Guidance Review Presumption in favour of sustainable development Localism Act Strong protections still in place Unblocking stalled sites Tackling LA poor performance Neighbourhood Planning Regional Strategy revocation Robust Evidence of need and 5 year land supply Duty to cooperate SimpleLocalSustainable ProportionateEffective Deregulation and Simplification Information requirements Speeding up appeals Award of costs Permitted development rights 6000 page s of guidance reduced and now on web 1300 pages of policy down to less than 50 Major Infrastructure Section 106 Use Class Order Statutory consultees Community Infrastructure Levy Growth and Infrastructure Act & Infrastructure Act NSIP Conditions Compulsory community consultation EIA Thresholds

Ministerial vision The top-down targets of the past planning system did nothing to deliver the homes our country needs. In contrast, putting local people in control has led to record numbers of homes being granted permission and support for house building to grow. Today’s proposals ensure we go further and faster, removing the barriers so we can keep the country building and support hard-working people to achieve their dream of home ownership 4

Impact of changes to date Permissions for 242,000 new homes in the year to 30 June, up three per cent on the year to 30 June ,100 decisions approved between April and June 2015, up three per cent from the same quarter in 2014; 64 per cent (216 in total) of local planning authorities have adopted a Local Plan – only 17 per cent (58 in total) in May per cent (274 in total) have at least published a draft Local Plan – only 32 per cent (109 in total) in May Nearly 1,600 communities, representing over 8 million people, have started the neighbourhood planning process 5

6 Overview - Productivity Plan Productivity plan sets the agenda for the whole of government over the parliament to reverse the UK’s long-term productivity problem and secure rising living standards and a better quality of life for our citizens.

7 Allow an element of housing to be included in major infrastructure proposals take forward under the nationally significant infrastructure planning regime S106 - introducing a dispute resolution mechanism to speed up negotiations and allow housing starts to proceed more quickly Streamline length and process of local plans Allow the Mayor to call in planning applications of 50 homes or more Strengthening guidance on he duty to cooperate to emphasise the importance of councils working together to meet the housing and infrastructure needs of our communities. Reviewing the threshold below which agricultural buildings my be converted to residential use using permitted development rights. Helping London to “build up” rather than “build out”, delivering more homes for Londoners while protecting he countryside Rural Productivity Plan (August 2015) – review of planning barriers Productivity Plan measures:

8 Overview - Housing Bill The Housing Bill as announced in the Queen’s Speech, will serve a core set of objectives: To help more people own their own home To build more homes To make the planning process deliver more Making rental markets fit for the future

Housing Bill measures: Planning bodies to grant permission in principle for housing development on sites allocated in local and neighbourhood plans or identified on the new brownfield register; Small builders to apply directly for permission in principle for minor development Introducing measures to improve Local Plan making and neighbourhood planning. In cases where no Local Plan has been produced by early 2017, we will intervene to arrange for the Plan to be written, in consultation with local people Raising the performance bar to further improve the speed of decisions on major schemes – from 40 to 50% decisions made on time and extending the performance regime to minor applications Improve compulsory purchase regime, so it is clearer, fairer and faster

Shale Oil & Gas Recent changes made since 2014 to ensure a locally-led planning system is in place for shale oil and gas proposals that is faster and fairer for those affected by new development September 2015 – DECC and DCLG issued a joint Written Ministerial Statement setting out further planning measures to help drive timely decision making including: ­ Commitment to prioritise shale gas appeals and consider their recovery for decision by Ministers; ­ A scheme to identify local planning authority underperformance on oil and gas applications; ­ Taking forward permitted development rights for the drilling of boreholes for groundwater monitoring.

11 What does it all mean – what’s next? Key drivers of reform remain: Localism, positive planning, supporting sustainable growth and simplification Increased emphasis on implementing and building on existing reforms. Focus on what more can planning can do to support growth Next steps Spending Review underway with decisions in autumn 2015