In its letter to Eric Pickles the Society said “We welcome the initiative to reduce the burden of unnecessary regulation, both as part of our ongoing commitment to providing a more efficient and accessible planning service to our customers, and because it could help us in delivering your localism agenda within the tight financial constraints in which we now find ourselves.”
Fifteen areas of planning which might benefit from de-regulation have been highlighted in the submission. Stuart Hylton, who compiled the list for POS, said “This is just the start of the debate. The Society will be looking right across the planning service for other ways of making it more streamlined and accessible”.
Stephen Tapper, Society President, commented: “we have expressed our willingness to discuss these suggestions with the Secretary of State or with his department if that would prove helpful.”
The letter highlights fifteen areas of planning which might benefit from de-regulation including:
– Cutting paperwork accompanying planning applications
– Scrap “long, turgid” sustainability documents
– Revise the range and detail of evidence requirements such as strategic housing market assessments
– Reconsider the need for annual monitoring reports
– Advertise planning applications with on-site notices and electronic media rather than local press
– Reduce the number of planning applications which need to be referred to central government
– ‘De-jargonise’ the system to help increase public participation
– Review the current four-year and ten-year “immunity” rules, preventing enforcement action being taken against unlawful development as these place heavy enforcement burdens on local authorities and undermine public confidence in the effectiveness of the planning system.
Planning Officers Society Article: LINK
Planning Officers Society Article 2: LINK
Planning Resource News: LINK
