The Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) is seeking expressions of interest from local planning authorities and neighbourhood planning forums in becoming development benefits pilots, with the deadline for expressions of interest of 24 October.
DCLG writes:
Budget 2014 announced that the government will launch a government-funded staged pilot for passing a share of the benefits of development directly to individual households. This includes further research and evaluation of the approach.
HM Treasury have allocated a budget of £3.5 million to the Department for Communities and Local Government for the pilot. The aim of the pilot is to test:
- the degree to which development benefits are likely to be both effective and efficient in reducing opposition to development and increasing active support for it
- what approach to payments, including levels of payments and eligibility for payments is likely to be most effective
- the extent to which a reduction in opposition to development by local residents can be expected to ease planning system constraints
- the workability and costs of administering the development benefits model
- whether there are any unintended consequences, either within this policy or for other government objectives
- how the model would impact on the approach taken to new homes in neighbourhood plans
