Streamlining the Planning Application Process
The Government has issued a consultation paper seeking views on proposals to introduce a more proportionate approach to the amount of information that must be submitted with an application for planning permission in England. The consultation period is open until 23 October 2009. The Government anticipates making regulatory changes in this regard to come into force by April 2010.
The change was prompted by a recommendation in the Killian Pretty Review of 2008 that the Government should make the information requirements for all planning applications “clearer, simpler and more proportionate, removing unnecessary requirements, particularly for small scale householder and minor development”. The need to reduce unnecessary administration for both applicants and local planning authorities has become even more crucial during the economic downturn with reductions in the resources available both for submitting and determining planning applications.
Information requirements and validation
The Government is therefore proposing to:
- remove the recommended national local list from the guidance on validation of planning applications;
- require local planning authorities to revise their local lists of information requirements by the end of December 2010 as many are currently too long and require submission of documents that are not needed for the determination of the application;
- issue guidance on the key principles of necessity, precision, proportionality, fitness for purpose and assistance in formulating a local list to encourage a consistent approach among different local authorities;
- monitor the production and use of local lists to make sure that they are clear, justified and proportionate and if they do not prove effective then statutory powers may need to be introduced to address this; and
- for large and complex schemes to encourage the submission of documents that are of high quality but concise to reduce the amount of time spent reading the application together with a summary of the whole application which is no more than 20 pages long and identifies the key impacts of the whole proposal.
Design and access statements
The Killian Pretty Review gave particular attention to the design and access statement which currently has to accompany many forms of planning application. In response the Government is proposing to:
- simplify the requirements for all design and access statements to require a straightforward explanation from applicants as to how the context of the development influences its design; and
- reduce the range of applications that require a design and access statement so that it will not be required for certain small scale applications and applications to amend or remove conditions on existing planning permissions.
Agricultural holdings certificates
The Killian Pretty Review noted that the agricultural holdings certificate was causing delay in validating planning applications as applicants do not always realise that they need to complete it. The Government has decided to retain the requirement to sign the agricultural holdings certificate but to amend the standard planning application form to make it clearer that this part of the form must be completed.
