Cheltenham Borough Council have voted to reduce the duration of planning consent validity from five to three years, in line with the 2008 Planning Act.
Cheltenham Borough Council writes:
Planning committee at its meeting on 18 February voted unanimously to reduce the period given for planning consents from five years to three years.
This brings Cheltenham in line with the national position set out in the 2008 Planning Act. At the time of the national change the council was aware of the impact of the recession. Whilst it is recognised that the implementation of certain planning permissions can remain challenging for developers, the economic justification for giving a longer period for implementation no longer remains.
The change will take effect on 1 March 2016.
Councillor Andrew McKinlay, cabinet member for development and safety said: ‘The change sends the message to the development industry that they have a role to play in the delivery of new development. With increasing pressure from government on delivery we all need to play our part. As a council we have consistently been delivering permissions, but our monitoring shows that these are consistently not being translated into development on the ground. From 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2015 the total number of dwellings granted planning permission was 2,339, however the total number of dwellings completed during the same timeframe has been 1,031; this shows that only 44% of dwellings granted permission during that time have been delivered.”
View the press release
