New planning policy to be announced tomorrow: upwards, outwards, fast, faster, ignore locals


“… A new “zonal” system, as employed in many other countries, which will give automatic planning permission on all suitable brownfield sites, removing unnecessary delays to redevelopment.

Power for the government to intervene and have local plans drafted setting out how housing needs will be met when local authorities fail to produce them, and penalties for those that make 50% or fewer planning decisions on time.

Analysis Housing and the budget: what you need to know:

In a budget with a heavy focus on housing, we’ve rounded up the key policies from the chancellor’s briefcase.

Stronger compulsory purchase powers to bring forward more brownfield land and devolution of planning powers, including powers over land, to the mayors of London and Manchester.

The right for major infrastructure projects that include elements of housing development to be fast-tracked through the Nationally Significant Infrastructure regime – meaning the project does not need to go through full democratic consultation.

Proposals to end to the need for planning permission for upwards extensions for a limited number of storeys up to the height of the adjoining building in the capital.

A package to support small and medium-sized housebuilders, including new sanctions for local authorities not processing smaller planning applications on time, with earlier fee refunds.

Local authorities say planning delays are caused by the lack of resources in planning departments, but the government is likely to provide a blueprint for how these planning requests should be handled.

Osborne fought a number of bruising encounters with conservationists in the last parliament, but seems to be determined to do so again on the basis that the supply of land at the right price has been the single biggest factor holding back housebuilding.

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/jul/09/osborne-tears-up-planning-laws-londoners-build-extra-storeys-on-homes

Coastal Communities Fund extended for further 5 years

The Coastal Communities Fund, which was launched in 2012, will make £90m in funding available until 2020/2021.
Seaside towns across the UK will be able to bid for a share of the funding.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-33467461

Now THAT’S a local newspaper!

http://localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23676:newspaper-wins-ftt-hearing-over-naming-of-unpaid-council-tax-councillor-&catid=59&Itemid=27

East Devon District Council and “dark rooms”

At yesterday’s local plan hearingss Natural England spoke of mitigation strategy and associated habitats assessment discussions which should not take place in “in a dark room”.

What on earth could they mean!

Majority of voters will be over 55 at the next election

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/labour/11721749/Liam-Byrne-Labour-must-target-the-over-55s-or-stay-in-Opposition-for-10-years.html

Well that’s the pension triple lock and bus passes protected then!

Shame if you are a poor student who must now pay your maintenance allowance back but presumably they expect you not to vote next time round or be totally squashed by those pesky over-55s!

Daily Telegraph says planning rules may be further simplified to aid developers

Article by Christopher Hope has no web link. But the headline says it all.

If the NPPF slims down any further it will disappear completely. Aaah, we see!

“Sweating assets”: now your bowls club is not safe

http://localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23655:high-court-rejects-challenge-to-planning-permission-on-bowls-site&catid=63&Itemid=31

Cranbrook – over developed say – developers!

Interesting snippet from yesterday’s local plan hearing. Apparently developers were complaining that over-development in Cranbrook is depressing prices there and there is more money (sorry, better opportunities for housing supply) in other parts of the district.

Mr Thickett asked rather plaintively where the employment land was for the larger town. It appears planners had’nt really got to grips with that (though, of course, Skypark down the road and the abandoned inter-modal freight site are deserts waiting for rain),

Lower prices are better for us, not good for developers. Who does EDDC support?

Wonder what Mr Thickett thought of that?

He seems increasingly fed up with his visits to East Devon to try to sort things out – might he be ready to throw in the towel and rip the Local Plan up?

If he did the developer free-for-all will continue for years. That surely is not what East Devon Tory councillors want.

The Knowle bats – a question

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/East-Devon-bat-population-hit-office-demolition/story-26803273-detail/story.html

Question: how did the buildings get into such a state of dereliction that bats entered them in the first olace?