Amendments made to the Neighbourhood Planning Bill will allow county councils ‘by invitation’ to prepare development plan documents where a district council was failing to do so.
Planning Portal writes:
County councils have given a guarded welcome to the government’s amendments to the Neighbourhood Planning Bill. The changes would revise local plan making to allow for joint and strategic planning across broader areas as well as default powers ‘by invitation’ to counties to prepare development plan documents where a district council was failing to prepare, revise or adopt such a document.
A spokesman for the County Councils Network (CCN) said: ‘We believe that these amendments set out options which retain a plan-led approach, and seek to keep decisions as close to people as possible, rather than relying on central control or ad hoc development.
‘Despite the best efforts of local government partners, housing in county areas remains the least affordable outside of London and productivity in counties lags behind cities.
‘CCN will be working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government and district partners to continue developing an approach which brings the public sector together to deliver timely, appropriate and affordable housing for our residents.’
The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is aware that counties may not currently have the capacity to take over new local planning responsibilities. The question of resources will be discussed as the legislation gathers pace.
