New Planning Regulations/Laws

 Currently the Government is consulting on the changes it is proposing to planning regulations and law.  The document has more than12 chapters and 58 questions to be answered.  If you would like a say then you have until the first week of March to do this at planningpolicyconsultation@levelling up.gov.uk.

Like most regulations the document contains both sticks and carrots.  The carrots are probably less tangible and well thought out than the sticks in that we are promised that these new rules will deliver 'beautiful buildings' and developments, 'gentle density' and 'design codes'.  However, it is not certain what these terms actually mean or how they will be delivered.

The changes we are told will be brought about in the Spring of 2023 which does not give much time for a turn around on the consultation.  Although people are assured they will have more say, the rules strengthen the government arm so that it can insist on its 300,000 houses per annum to be built by the mid 2020s, and if there is not a  5 year supply of housing land waiting continuously (and over rule any local decisions can be overruled, and it is likely that these houses could be built wherever.  A likely place might be along the route of the HS2 line where land has been alienated from the countryside and farming.  The Green Belt always a moveable feast could be another.  The changes we are told are to be brought about now and the detail will be consulted on once the Bill has been passed - which sounds a bit like putting the cart before the horse.  Suitable land will be auctioned, apparently, and there will be an infrastructure strategy - which might help to solve all the neighbourhood parking issues which currently confront new and old developments.   And this is before industrial land use is brought into the equation.   

Another stick is that all local authorities should have local plans in place and that includes Neighbourhood Plans.  All need to be no more than 2 years old, otherwise they will be regarded to be out of date, and this will make the planning authority vulnerable to speculative development.  Local Authorities could also lose their government protection particularly that relating to the Green Belt if their local plans lapse, or like Newcastle they do not, yet, exist.

There is also the threat of National Development Management Policies being introduced and drawn up by the Secretary of State.  This is to ensure that all local plans  are consistent with the government Grand Plan.  At the moment any Grand Plan is predicated on the 2011 National Census statistics.  The 2021census data will not be available until 2024 but that does not seem to be restraining government estimates and predictions - even though they might be sadly out of date.  Much local autonomy could be lost in favour of this State Plan despite communities 'having a say'.

Housing is another grey area in this document in that housing need seems to be overshadowed by housing  market concerns: the two are not the same thing.  Affordable housing and social housing and self-build seem to be rolled together and there is no mention of empty houses (Newcastle borough claims on its website to have  more than1000).   However, last week I was informed that it had only 186 (unless that was a misprint) with 8 being in Betley.   There also appears to be no strategy to solve  the issue of affordable housing in that after the first sale (and unless there are checks in place) an affordable home might reach market price on subsequent sales - also if the house is extended and rises in value etc..

It will therefore be interesting to see if these new rules solve the past and current issues, or compound the problem of new developments becoming the urban blight of tomorrow.

PS the Section 106 monies from the Bluebell development - which was supposed to go to the enhancement/improvement of Wrinehill, was allocated by the NBC to Knutton for affordable housing.     

That sum might have financed the improvement of Checkley Lane.  Ah well!