Tradespeople nationwide have welcomed the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announcement that it is currently reviewing the responses it received during a consultation period earlier this year for protocols that aim to speed up the planning permission process.
The proposed key elements under discussion by MHCLG, part of a larger National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation that could see a long-overdue overhaul of local planning authority services and performance, are:
- A new Accelerated Planning Service for major commercial applications with accelerated decision dates, in some cases within 10 weeks, and fee refunds wherever these are not met
- Reducing the use of extensions of time: stopping their use for householder applications and allowing one extension of time for other developments. This is part of a wider review of performance measures for local planning authority speed of decision-making against statutory time limits
- Expanding the current simplified written representations appeals process for householder and minor commercial appeals to more complex appeal types
- Implementing section 73B for applications to vary planning permissions and the treatment of overlapping permissions
The findings of a recent survey conducted by The Guild of Master Craftsmen (GMC), the UK’s most established trade association, identified many of the challenges its members currently face regarding planning permission approval.
These include a significant decrease in the number of green-lit applications, an increase in time extension requests from local planning authorities, inconsistent rulings and a backlog of applications.
The GMC poll also found that the majority of the member companies who took part agreed that underfunding, inadequate staff training and lower employee numbers – a knock-on effect of the pandemic – were also playing a significant part in the overall performance of local planning authorities.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, signalled the government’s awareness of some of the issues in her autumn budget on 30 October, which indicated that £46 million would be given to local authorities for the training of 300 graduates and apprentices to increase the quantity and quality of planning officers. In addition, £5bn will be spent on housing investment in 2025-26, including the supply of affordable housing.
Reeves also said that the government intends to respond to the NPPF consultation by the end of the year.
