Recommendations proposed in March by the Local Plans Expert Group to improve the local plan-making process have prompted an inquiry by the Commons Communities and Local Government Committee to determine what steps may be taken, with deadline for submissions on 27 June.
Parliament reports:
The LPEG was set up by Government in September last year to help streamline the local plan-making process and produced a report in March with 47 recommendations (PDF 658 KB). The Committee looks at these and examines how the Government intends to take them forward. The Committee also hears from John Rhodes, Chair of the LPEG.
- The Committee invites written evidence on the following areas:
- The Local Plans Expert Group’s recommendations
- The next steps for the local plan-making process
- The deadline for written submissions is Monday 27 June 2016.
Clive Betts, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, said: ‘The Local Plans Expert Group concluded that substantial reform of the local plan-making process was required and made detailed recommendations for improving the effectiveness and efficiency of local plan making. The Committee will consider these recommendations and look at how DCLG plans to act on them.’
The LPEG report highlighted difficulties assessing and meeting housing needs through local plans as a central issue, the dominance of which was sometimes to the detriment of other local plan elements. Other issues raised by the report included insufficient engagement with local communities.
In April 2016, the Committee reported on DCLG’s consultation on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). In the previous parliament the Committee held an inquiry into the NPPF and an inquiry into the operation of the NPPF.
