The RTPI welcomed the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee report “Planning for Homes: Speeding up planning applications for major housing developments in England” which argues that crude 13 week decision targets for the determination of planning applications can have perverse effects.
RTPI Director of Policy Rynd Smith said: “The Committee has recognised that the current centrally proscribed target regime has resulted in some perverse consequences. For example, as Planning Authorities have prioritised their efforts on taking decisions within the 13 week target period, there has been less focus on applications that have missed the target. The RTPI has been observing these effects for some time and has worked to develop a new outcome based approach to measuring planning services – ensuring that they deliver good places for communities in a timely and efficient manner, not just quick schemes.”
The PAC’s report can be viewed here:
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmpubacc
/236/236.pdf
