{"id":767211,"date":"2024-12-09T16:00:23","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T16:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/?p=767211"},"modified":"2024-12-13T11:05:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-13T11:05:26","slug":"mandatory-councillor-training-could-be-introduced-to-speed-up-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.architectsjournal.co.uk\/news\/mandatory-councillor-training-could-be-introduced-to-speed-up-planning","title":{"rendered":"Mandatory councillor training could be introduced to speed-up planning"},"content":{"rendered":"

The proposal was put out to consultation today along with other suggested changes to the way schemes are ruled on by local authorities.<\/p>\n

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published its Planning Reform Working Paper<\/a><\/em> this morning as it works up legislation designed to boost development.<\/p>\n

It said \u2018too many decisions\u2019 were made with \u2018weak\u2019 justification, leading to appeals, delays and uncertainty.<\/p>\n

The working paper said the training would, as a minimum, cover legislation; the role of the development plan and national policy; the application process; enforcement; and a code of conduct as a minimum. The training would be \u2018principally provided online\u2019.<\/p>\n

Another proposal put forward in the document is the creation of dedicated committees for strategic development.<\/p>\n

Such panels, said the paper, would focus solely on schemes seen as \u2018critical to supporting local economic development and housing need\u2019 to provide \u2018long-term focus and consistency\u2019.<\/p>\n

It added that there would be \u2018considerable benefits in having a small committee of knowledgeable members who can have informed discussions\u2019.<\/p>\n

The government also called for a national delegation policy to create \u2018clarity and consistency to everyone about which applications get decided by officers and which by committees\u2019.<\/p>\n

It outlined three ways this could work. One option would be to remove all schemes complying with a development plan from committee hearings.<\/p>\n

The second and third possibilities represent variations by which all applications would go straight to officers unless specific circumstances apply.<\/p>\n

This month, senior ministers will set out \u2018ambitious\u2019 targets to get more housing and civils schemes underway<\/p>\n

Housing secretary Angela Rayner told the BBC this weekend<\/a> that the government wanted to fast-track compliant applications.<\/p>\n

\u2018We are taking away the subjectiveness that happens at a local level,\u2019 she said. \u2018We are saying that if [developers] follow Plan A \u2013 national planning policy \u2013 and Plan B \u2013 local planning policy \u2013 then [they] shouldn\u2019t be stuck on subjective grounds.<\/p>\n

\u2018You have to have a framework that delivers the housing and infrastructure we desperately need.\u2019<\/p>\n

Read the AJ’s recent feature on ‘Four ideas to fix the nation\u2019s \u2018broken\u2019 planning system’, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n

Comment<\/h3>\n

Matthew Evans, counsel in the planning team at Forsters law firm<\/strong><\/p>\n

Providing greater consistency within the planning system is welcome. The revisions to the NPPF, expected this week, are only ever going to be able to go so far in helping to speed up the planning system. Greater reform will be needed to truly make a difference, especially given the incredibly ambitious housing targets that the government has set. Moving to a system where delegated decisions are made by default seems like a sensible option.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s logical applications that comply with local plans are approved quickly<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The government is emphasising that this is a plan-led system (with greater enforcement for those local authorities that fail to have one in place), and it\u2019s therefore logical that applications that comply with local plans are approved quickly. The next challenge is ensuring that the plan-making system is streamlined and efficient; there are elements of local plans that can be standardised.<\/p>\n

With the right reform in place, we should be able to get to a position where local people are involved in plan-making, decisions are made promptly by qualified planning officers and developers approach applications knowing the parameters a development needs to sit within. It might not deliver 1.5 million homes, but it would save time and money and get Britain building a bit faster.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The proposal was put out to consultation today along with other suggested changes to the way schemes are ruled on by local authorities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published its Planning Reform Working Paper this morning as it works up legislation designed to boost development. 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