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The publication of the Coalition’s Programme for Government on 20th May heralded apparently far-reaching changes to the planning system.
Their proposals for reform are peppered throughout the 35 page document and include:
- The abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies
- Stopping ‘garden grabbing’
- Giving neighbourhoods greater ability to determine the shape of the places people live
- Publishing a simplified national planning framework (presumably to replace Planning Policy Guidance Notes and Statements - PPGs and PPSs)
- Creating a new designation – similar to SSSIs – to protect green areas of particular importance to local communities
- Promoting ‘Home on the Farm’ schemes to encourage farmers to convert existing buildings into affordable housing
- Creating new ‘Trusts’ to enable local communities to become involved in the provision of homes for local people
- A presumption in favour of sustainable development
Other measures, set out in the Conservative Party’s green paper “Open Source Planning” and published prior to the general election, are not mentioned in the Programme but probably haven’t gone away just yet.... third party rights of appeal and a more streamlined approach to planning policy are just two of the headlines that we are waiting to see further details on.
We will bring you more information on these and other important issues as they become clearer in the days ahead. In the mean time please contact Bluestone Planning with any questions or comments.
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