Chancellor George Osborne has said that the Government is forging ahead with the presumption in favour of sustainable development says commercial property agent Prop-Search, as the new National Planning Policy Framework is set to be published.
Samantha Jones, a Surveyor at Prop-Search, said: “In the Budget Speech, the Chancellor reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to reforming and condensing the UK’s planning laws to support growth. He said that businesses can’t ‘earn their future if they can’t get planning permission’.”
At the end of March, the Government will publish the new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) condensing some 1,300 pages of current planning legislation and guidance into 52.
In addition, the Government will introduce measures to deregulate and simplify the planning system. It will commence consultation on reducing information requirements and on proposals to amend the Use Class Order, and the associated permitted development rights to make changing the use of buildings easier – for implementation by April 2013. Furthermore, new permitted development rights for micro-renewable energy installations will come into force from April this year.
The Government has announced that major reforms to the key consenting and advisory agencies involved in planning applications to give certainty to developers, including ensuring they adhere to a 13 week maximum timescale for most non-planning consents and to improve their performance in dealing with planning applications. Following this Review, the Government will reduce unnecessary cost and delay to developers, setting clearer standards for evidence and changing the culture of statutory bodies.
