Planning for the Future Consultation
6th November 2020
At the end of October, the latest round of consultation on reforms to the English planning system closed. The 'Planning for the Future' White Paper outlined significant changes. The Community Led Housing Hub for Cumbria & Lancaster and ACTion with Communities in Cumbria (ACT) want to make sure that the changes proposed work for rural communities and for those wishing to be proactive on solving local housing shortages.
- The proposals aim to facilitate housing development by creating greater clarity and certainty for developers and planners.
- They will streamline the production of Local Plans by insisting that Planning Authorities take no longer that 30 months to complete.
- There is a big emphasis on digital mapping and engagement, with PropTech (Property Technology) highlighted as a growth industry.
- A single Infrastructure Levy will replace existing developer Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions.
While there are good reasons for all of these changes, the devil will always be in the detail. We have raised concerns about:
- certainty potentially coming at the cost of local democracy;
- expediency and ‘digital by default’ creating exclusion in communities poorly served by broadband when they are being consulted about Local Plans in development;
- any reforms to the current, opaque developer contributions regime ensuring ringfenced funding for local service and infrastructure development.
Watch this space!