The Government is pressing ahead with introducing even further flexibility to make changes of use without the need for planning consent. The current consultation considers, amongst other changes, allowing changes from a wider variety of uses to residential to encourage re-use of buildings and provide more homes along with increased PD rights to extend residential property. Also considered are allowing changes freely between shops and financial services uses and more freedom to change to restaurants and cafes use to help enliven the high street. However, more control is proposed for betting shops/payday loan uses, to control their prevalence on the high street.
These proposed changes to PD rights are part of a wider Government consultation called "Technical Consultation on Planning", aimed at speeding up and simplifying the planning system. Proposals include changes to the use of planning conditions, improving the planning application process and reducing the thresholds for requiring Environmental Impact Assessments. The consultation closed on 26 September 2014.
House builders may be interested to know that the Government is also consulting on unifying construction standards in new homes for a range of matters such as security, size/space standards for new homes and for age friendly/wheelchair housing. The consultation ends 7 November 2014.
Closer to home, Peterborough City Council intend to introduce their Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) in April 2015. This levy will be charged on all new floor space granted planning permission once the development is started, unless an exception applies. Exceptions apply for residential extensions, self-builders, minor developments and in other limited circumstances. The latest step in the process was the closure of their consultation on their draft charging schedule last week and adoption will follow an examination. The levy is collected by local authorities and used to fund local infrastructure (prescribed in their Infrastructure Delivery Schedule). Communities affected by Development will benefit from 15% of CIL collected in their area going to priorities at Parish Council level (or equivalent). This increases to 25% where a Neighbourhood Plan is in place.
Part of the Government's "Technical Consultation on Planning" is also looking at speeding up the neighbourhood planning process. With a streamlined neighbourhood planning system in place and financial incentives for having a Neighbourhood Plan, perhaps it is time for residents and local businesses alike to engage in some Neighbourhood Planning, particularly if they would like more say on what happens in their locality.
This article was first published in the Peterborough Telegraph in September 2014.
