Proposed planning system changes ‘would be damaging’ for Chichester, council warns

The Government has announced plans for upcoming changes to the planning system in England, and is currently consulting on this until Thursday (October 1).

In particular, it is seeking views on four main topics: changes to the standard method for assessing local housing need; rules for a new type of housing product called First Homes; removing the need for many housing sites to deliver affordable housing; and extending an alternative to the planning application process, allowing developers to apply for ‘permission in principle’ for major development.

The council believes the proposals would be ‘damaging to our area and the country as a whole’.

Councillor Susan Taylor, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Planning at Chichester District Council, said: “While there are some interesting proposals within the Government’s recommendations, our main concern is around the way it is proposing to assess local housing need.

SEE MORE: Fears planning reforms could leave West Sussex ‘drowning in houses’

“We believe that the Government should take account of wider issues, such as landscape and the environment, which are discussed in the Government’s separate Planning White Paper, before implementing these changes.

“Under the proposals, the figures for Chichester District would rise as a whole from 753 under the existing method to 1,120 homes per year.

“This will place significant pressure on the parts of the district that fall outside of the National Park, and which are included within our emerging Local Plan.

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“While we are still working hard to deliver the Local Plan Review as quickly as we can, we are very concerned about the Government’s proposals and what these could potentially mean to our district in the long-term.

“While we fully understand the need to provide more housing and get the economy moving, we feel that the Government’s proposed approach would be damaging to our area and the country as a whole.

“Planning authorities currently consider the whole picture, from how we move around areas; how we can achieve higher environmental standards; how we can encourage healthy lifestyles; how we can protect our environment and wildlife; as well as carefully considering where development should be placed.

“The Government’s proposals don’t appear to provide enough consideration for these important factors.

“For now, our focus is to continue to push forward with the Local Plan Review.

“We will keep our residents updated as things progress and make them aware of any feedback that we receive from the Government.”

The council’s full consultation response can be viewed by visiting www.chichester.gov.uk/governmentconsultations

Explainer: What has the Government proposed?

An eight-week Government consultation on changes to current planning policies and regulations comes to a close on Thursday.

Those changes include altering the way housing figures are calculated – replacing the current local housing need with local housing requirements, essentially adding 300,000 homes per year to the nationwide figures.

In West Sussex, the changes would see an extra 2,234 homes built each year.

The Government also proposes to temporarily lift the small sites threshold, below which developers do not need to contribute to affordable housing, to up to 40 or 50 units.

This would support small and medium-sized builders as the economy recovers from the impact of Covid-19, it said.

It would also extend the current Permission in Principle to major development, which will give landowners and developers a fast route to secure the principle of development for housing on sites without having to work up detailed plans first.

The Government claims the measures will improve the effectiveness of the current planning system.

To read more about the proposals, visit www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-current-planning-system

To have your say on the proposals before 11.45pm on Thursday, visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/MHCLG-Changes-to-the-current-planning-system/

The Government has also published its ‘planning for the future’ White Paper – which proposes a new planning system.

The White Paper divides land into three categories – growth, renewal and protected.

In growth areas, outline permission would be automatically given for developments specified in a council’s local plan; renewal areas would be seen as suitable for some development; and protected areas would see development restricted.

Councils would also be able to set aside land in ‘growth’ areas for self-built and custom-built homes.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The current planning system is complicated, favours larger developers and often means that much needed new homes are delayed.

“We’re proposing a new system which is easier for the public to access, transforms the way communities are shaped and builds the homes this country needs.

“The changes will mean more good quality, attractive and affordable homes can be built faster – and more young families can have the key to their own home.”

The proposals would also change the way that developers contribute to the cost of affordable housing and other new infrastructure such as schools, roads and GP surgeries.

A new national levy would replace the existing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy, which the Government said would be ‘simpler’ and would ‘provide more certainty about the number of affordable homes being built’.

The White Paper also proposes that all new streets should be tree-lined and that all new homes should be ‘zero carbon ready’, with no new homes delivered under the new system needed to be retrofitted.

A consultation on the proposals ends on October 29.

To find out more, visit www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future

To have your say on the proposals, visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/MHCLG-Planning-for-the-Future/