The Government’s vision Freedom, Fairness and Responsibility

1. The Government’s vision Freedom, Fairness and Responsibility • Fundamental change in the relationship between citizens and the state. • Individuals and communities have more power and responsibility. • Freedom from top-down controls. • Extending transparency to every area of public life.

2. What it means for Planning • Reform to achieve… • Greater democratic and local control • Positive planning - a system in favour of sustainable development • Greater simplicity and effectiveness • Delivering… • A plan-led system that empowers local people to shape their surroundings whilst facilitating sustainable growth and encouraging the idea that development can positively benefit a community. Positive, proactive, simple.

3. But why? • Good planning makes for great communities but the planning system has its problems, it: • is centralised, bureaucratic and complex – 3,254 new pages of guidance since 2005 alone; • is costly – over £2bn a year - 13 per cent more in real terms last year than five years ago - despite 32 per cent drop in applications received; • can alienate and disempower communities – many will seek to resist development regardless of the circumstances of the potential wider benefit; and • struggles to deliver - costs to the economy associated with delays in processing applications up to £3bn a year.

4. Planning Reform: Actions • The Localism Bill • The National Planning Policy Framework – including the Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development • The Growth Review and subsequent changes to the system

5. Localism Bill • Decentralises power and responsibility to shape places • Abolition of Regional Strategies • A new duty to cooperate – LAs must address cross boundary issues in their plans • A new permissive regime of neighbourhood plans – that must fit with local plans • CIL to become more of a local incentive – alongside the New Homes Bonus • Abolition of the IPC and return of decision making on major infrastructure to Ministers • Shift from central targets to local drivers and incentives • Results in a much greater emphasis on importance of local plans – the strategic plan

6. National Planning Policy Framework Draft Framework distils over 1,000 pages of National Planning Policy – to 52 pages. Objectives: - To streamline national planning policy and make it more accessible - To promote sustainable growth - To protect and enhance the natural and historic environment

7. Highlights • Delivering sustainable development: the presumption in favour of sustainable development - emphasising the importance of an up to date plan and of planning positively to meet objectively assessed development needs • Plan-making and development management: requirement to set out strategic priorities, in cooperation with other authorities; new viability assessment; ability to review plans in whole or part to respond flexibly to changing circumstances • Planning for prosperity: strong commitment to “town centre first” policy; flexible approach to non-residential car-parking; facilitating growth of new and existing telecommunication systems.

8. Highlights • Planning for people: plan to meet the full requirements for market and affordable housing; maintain a 5-year rolling supply of deliverable sites, plus at least 20%; ensure high quality and inclusive design; maintain Green Belt protections • Planning for place: supportive framework for low carbon and renewable energy; maintain existing policy on development in areas of flood risk; plan positively for networks of biodiversity and green infrastructure; maintain strong protections of AONBs, SSSIs, National Parks; maintain current historic environment protections • NPPF needs to be read and interpreted as a whole

9. Growth Review • The Growth Review builds on the Localism Bill and NPPF: • Written Ministerial statement on economic development and Presumption • Review of Use Classes Order • Business involvement in Neighbourhood Planning • Pilots of elements of land auctions model on public sector land • Allowing LAs freedom to identify land for development and removing centralised Brownfield land targets • Enterprise zones – simplified planning areas (using LDOs) • ‘Planning guarantee’ and simplification of the regime for determining planning applications

10. Next Steps … Localism Bill… Finished Lords Committee stage before Recess. Lords Report stage under way. Aiming for Enactment around the end of the year subject to Parliamentary time. NPPF… Consultation closes on 17 October. Aim to finalise by end of year if possible. Growth Review… Large number of work streams delivering to different timescales – adding up to fundamental change to the planning system by this time next year! 10