Mebyon Kernow – the Party for Cornwall has been asked to provide a briefing on Government proposals to change the planning system. This includes the “Planning for the Future” White Paper and associated consultation document, which aims to bring forward some more immediate changes.
Here are some of the key points from the White Paper:
· A “standard method for establishing housing requirement figures” across “England” is proposed. Lichfield Planning Consultants have already reported that the annual target for Cornwall would be calculated at 4,054. This would equate to 81,000 new properties over the lifetime of a twenty-year Local Plan. The present Cornwall Local Plan (2010-2030) has a target of 52,500 new properties – that is 2,625 per annum.
· All land would need to be placed in one of three categories in a Local Plan. The document states that these are “Growth areas suitable for substantial development, Renewal areas suitable for development, and areas that are Protected.” The White Paper adds that “Areas identified as Growth areas (suitable for substantial development) would automatically be granted outline planning permission for the principle of development, while automatic approvals would also be available for pre-established development types in other areas suitable for building.”
· Proposals in the White Paper would also centralise the planning process in Whitehall and take decision-making powers away from local areas. It wants development management policies “established at national scale” and therefore Local Plans will be weakened as a result. It wants the number of policies in Local Plans to be reduced, and suggests there could be a focus on “design guides and codes” for developments.
· The document expects local authorities to produce a new Local Plan (to a Government template) over a 30-month timetable. This is as follows: Stage 1 [6 months], the local planning authority “calls for” suggestions for areas under the three categories (Growth, Renewal and Protection); Stage 2 [12 months], the local planning authority draws up its proposed Local Plan (to include Growth areas); Stage 3 [6 weeks], consultation on document which has been submitted to the Secretary of State for examination; Stage 4 [9 months], examination of Local Plan by Government-appointed planning inspector; Stage 5 [6 weeks], Local Plan is finalised and comes into force.
· It is suggested that Neighbourhood Plans will continue, though it is extremely likely that they will be significantly undermined by the wider planning reforms.
· Section 106 legal agreements which have traditionally guaranteed affordable housing (and other community benefits prior to the Community Infrastructure Levy) will be ended and a reformed Infrastructure Levy will be put in place. It appears complex and many planning professionals are querying how it will work and, for example, deliver affordable housing as part of developments.
There is also a lack of detail about how the proposed new approach would work and great uncertainty about what it all means.
The White Paper does include numerous references to things such as tackling climate change, protecting green spaces, more building on brownfield land, building beautiful homes and greater community involvement – but these are contradicted by the wider context of the document which is about making it easier for developers to develop!
A second consultation document proposes four more immediate changes to the planning system. These proposals have significantly more detail than those in the White Paper.
· This includes more information on the “standard method for establishing housing requirement figures” also included in the White Paper, which would impose an annual target on Cornwall of over 4,000 new dwellings. It is not fully clear when such a new target would be imposed on Cornwall, though it could be when the Cornwall Local Plan is five years old (November 2021).
· There is also a proposal to promote “First Homes,” as part of the delivery of what the Government terms affordable housing. “First Homes” would be sold on the “open market” at a discount from market price of at least 30%, though Councils could increase this discount to 40% or 50%. The document is unclear whether the discount would be a one-off or there would be a mechanism for the units to be affordable in perpetuity. The Government expects that First Homes should also be delivered on exception sites.
· Affordable housing is presently sought on all developments above ten units, but the Government is planning to “temporarily change this.” The proposal is that no affordable homes would need to be provided on sites of up to either 40 or 50 new properties. It is stated that this will be to support small builders and will be for an initial period of 18 months. The approach will then be reviewed. However, it also states that, in designated rural areas, there can still be a threshold of five units or fewer for the delivery of affordable housing. But this is problematic as many non-urban areas in Cornwall are not “designated rural areas” (from the Housing Order 1981). Such parishes include St Michael Caerhays, Feock, Mevagissey, St Columb, St Goran, St Mewan and the majority of Clay Country.
· The fourth proposal was for an extension of “permission in principle,” which the Government describes as a “faster way of obtaining planning permission for housing-led development, which reduced the need for landowners and developers to incur significant costs to establish the principle of development for housing.” This was introduced in 2017 and the Government is now saying that it should be extended to large developments.
The White Paper consultation (which closes on 29 October) can be viewed at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-planning-for-the-future-consultation-to-reform-the-planning-system
The second consultation (which closes on 1 October) can be viewed at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-current-planning-system
this leaves Cornwall in a very very bad situation. The developers have been running riot down here anyway, the Government is really only legitimising the way they have been so far working.
ReplyDeleteThere is no mention anywhere of Social Housing, unless I have missed it. This is something that was supposed to be produced with the developments so far, but as far as I can see this has not been complied with so far anyway. If there is no social housing this is going to be a serious threat to our young and vulnerable people, we will have more homeless and desperate people on the streets.
Ironically the paragraph that proposes all designs should be instigated through a Whitehall national scale planning policy is one of the objections if I remember, that people who voted to leave had as a reason for leaving, not wanting each and every corner of Britain to look exactly the same as the rest of Europe. However, that would completely destroy the integrity of various corners of Britain if it were to be massively developed in like style.
As for the 81,000 on top of the much quoted 52,000 which somehow went up to 56,000 over night anyway. Surely there is not enough land to take this amount of housing. Certainly not the requirement from people down here. So this is an obvious watering down of Cornish communities encouraging a greater influx of inward migration. We certainly do not have the infrastructure to cope in normal times, let alone in the summer, so how will we be able to cope with that number. It appears the government wants to urbanise Cornwall. Because if another 81,000 households do move down here, how many more homes will be needed to house their off spring in 10/15 years after that?
It appears that the Government who has been ignoring local objection or knowledge on proposed sites anyway, is taking away any chance for people to put forward their observations on proposed planning applications at all. Not that it was much use anyway
As for talking about climate change and Areas that are protected. They have got to be joking. Having tried to fight to save an area so rare down here where there was a triangle of fields in the centre of an ancient village on the very edge of the UNESCO World Mining and Heritage and conservation area from development and it has just been given the go ahead, and the applicant is now applying for expansion on that number.
So far with developments they have been joining up smaller villages, now they will become growth areas, ie, Breage, Ashton, Praa Sands, Rosudgeon almost up to Marazion. Not many spaces in between. Breage and AShton are joined at the hip now there is only one field between them on both sides of the road.
Do you understand the bit about the Reformed Infrastructure Levy?
I am appalled with the new terminology regarding affordable homes, or rather First Homes. So now the percentage of discount is 30% or 40-50% at discretion of local council, but it says nothing about when it goes on the open market, whether or not these are reserved for local residents only. If it is not, then we again will be open to misappropriation of property. Very decent of the government to allow an extra 20 to 30% more homes before a developer has to provide affordable homes sorry First Homes. So I guess there will be a lot of 9's figure in the development applications i.e. 39, homes, 49 homes ect.
Propopsal for permission in principle, so we could end up with a lot more langarths then.
God help us.