The Institute is extremely disappointed to see the Government announcement issued alongside the introduction of the Planning & Infrastructure Bill and other measures intended to speed up approval of development proposals, that it intends to reduce the number of statutory consultees for planning applications, including removal of The Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust.
The IHBC writes:
‘The Theatres Trust and The Gardens Trust offer essential expertise into the unique and specialist architectural, historical, and cultural significance of theatres and gardens. Excluding them from the statutory consultee list would mean that planning applications affecting these important heritage assets would no longer benefit from the specialised knowledge and advocacy these organisations offer.
Statutory consultees are key to shaping planning decisions by providing expert advice and guidance. Their insights help drive sustainable development whilst protecting our cultural heritage, and promoting community pride and well-being.
The historic environment is not an obstacle to growth and it should not be seen as such. The Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust offer invaluable expertise that supports the preservation of heritage landscapes and historic cultural venues. Removing the statutory consultee status of The Gardens Trust and Theatres Trust would jeopardise protection for our historic environment by excluding expert voices from the planning process.
We do not believe that these two bodies have failed to engage proactively; took too long to provide advice, submitted automatic holding objections or advice which seeks a result beyond what is reasonable to make development acceptable in planning terms, as claimed by the Government. Furthermore, both the Gardens Trust and the Theatres Trust are able to statistically support their successful role in the consultation process.
Removing them from the list of statutory consultees will do nothing to ‘promote growth and unblock building’ but it is likely to accelerate the loss of or harm to irreplaceable heritage assets.’
IHBC Policy Secretary, Roy Lewis said: ‘It is difficult to see how The Gardens Trust and The Theatres Trust could realistically be portrayed as ‘development blockers’. These organisations provide informed specialist comment on a very small proportion of planning applications and object to relatively few. The Government should provide convincing evidence before dispensing with the valuable service that these voluntary sector Trusts provide.’
For more about the Planning & Infrastructure Bill see the IHBC NewsBlog
