Politics

[ex-archaeologist]

I hope that political comments are within AUP, I apologise if its not. I have just noticed this on the planning website Regen.net. Unfortunately my access does not allow me to reproduce the whole article.

Tory letter urges councils to delay housing developmentsMark Smulian, Regen.net, 1 September 2009

The shadow communities secretary has written to Conservative councils and MPs advising them to delay developments until a Tory administration gets into power.

In a letter to Conservative MPs and councils, seen by Regen.net , Caroline Spelman urges councils to do as little possible consistent with their legal obligations to implement the present....

[ex-archaeologist]

I have just found the full thing on PlanningResource

Tories advise councils to delay major developments Susanna Gillman, PlanningResource, 1 September 2009

Tory-run councils have been advised to delay major commercial and housing developments until the Conservatives get into power.

Shadow communities secretary Caroline Spelman has written to Conservative local authorities to set out more clearly the practicalities of her party?s intention to scrap regional planning structures.

According to the letter, the Conservatives will introduce a local government and housing bill in its first year of office to abolish regional spatial strategies (RSS).

But before primary legislation, the Tories would seek to "revoke RSSs in whole or in part".

The party would allow local authorities to "put the brakes on elements of RSSs which they find undesirable such as green belt reviews."

But the Conservatives are unlikely to do away with the local development framework (LDF) regime.

Spelman said under a Tory administration councils would be able partially review their LDFs to undo unwanted planning policies imposed by regional planners.

But she added: "The local development framework regime, imposed by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, has been so time-consuming and bureaucratic that I sense that there is little desire in local government to go back to square one, and start the whole torturous process from scratch."

The letter has sparked concerns from housebuilders that it will delay new homes and worsen the housing supply crisis.

But Conservative shadow housing minister Grant Shapps told the Observer that regional housing targets were not working: "We don?t believe in a top-down approach that is Stalinist in nature Housing completions are at record lows.

"This has to be seen in the context that would give real incentives to build more homes. We are unabashed about the need for more housing."

Communities secretary John Healey said: "The Tories are getting ahead of themselves and taking the election for granted. Crude threats and uncertainty are the last thing builders need now as they battle to come out of recession.

"We're backing builder with ?1billion to kickstart stalled housebuilding, and they're inciting councils to cut the ground from under the construction industry.

"This seems deliberately designed to slam the brakes on building, yet they have no plausible policy to secure the investment and new homes the country needs."



susanna.gillman@haymarket.com

[kevin wooldridge]

Ms Spelman needs to review planning legislation before she makes such suggestions to local authorities. There is a statutory period in which planning authorities need to process applications (8 weeks I believe) and any deliberate delay on the part of the authority will guarantee to have the lawyers of any aggrieved developers all over that authority like a venereal rash.....A story about nothing I feel.

[drpeterwardle]

Sorry Kevin,

Your comments are wide of the mark - after 8 weeks or 13 weeks for a major development if the council has not determined the application then you may appeal for none determination and let the planning application be determined by the planning inspectorate.

The comments by the Tories are a valid one in the context of housing targets there is likely to be a major change in this if they get elected. There are many tactics that an authourity can use to delay things such as:

1. Do an ecological survey (if one hasnot been undertaken this could delay things a year)
2. Tell the applicant to withdraw the application and make simple design changes delaying things six-eight weeks.
3. Re consult after a minor change 3 weeks delay
4. Require an evaluation before submission six months (the evaluation cant of course take place until the ecology has been done so the delay could be 18 months)

At the moment there is massive pressure for rural land to be released for housing which may or may not be a good thing.

Peter Wardle