This document provides an overview of the UK planning system and initiatives to support economic growth through housing development. It discusses key reforms such as the presumption in favor of sustainable development, neighbourhood planning powers, and permitted development rights. Statistics on housing approvals and decision times are presented. The summary also outlines progress on neighborhood plans and wider brownfield and design initiatives, with the goal of more land availability and efficient plan-making and decision processes to deliver housing outcomes.

1. PLANNING AND GROWTH
Steve Quartermain
Chief Planner

2. 2
Planning
Applications
& Decisions
(LAs)
469,000
Neighbourhood
Plans
NDO
(Optional)
Local
Plan / LDO
OUTCOMES
(88% approved)
Yes
Appeals &
Decisions
(PINS)
15,982
No
SoS
Recovered
Appeals
219
Plan Making
a
SofS
call-in
cases
20
Decision taking
Overview of the planning system
National Policy and
Guidance

3. NPPF
“presumption in favour
of sustainable
development”
3

4. Core Planning Principles
• Proactively drive and support sustainable economic development to deliver the
homes, business and industrial units, infrastructure and thriving local places
that the country needs. Every effort should be made objectively to identify and
then meet the housing, business and other development needs of an area, and
respond positively to sider opportunities for growth.
• The Government is committed to ensuring that the planning system does
everything it can to support sustainable economic growth.
4

5. 5
Strategic change: overview
NPPF and Guidance
Review
Presumption in
favour of
sustainable
development
Growth and
Infrastructure Act
Localism
Act
Strong protections
still in place
Unblocking
stalled sites
Tackling LA
poor
performance
Neighbourhood
Planning
Regional
Strategy
revocation
Robust
Evidence of
need and 5 year
land supply
Duty to
cooperate
SimpleLocal Sustainable
Proportionate Effective
Deregulation
and
Simplification
Information
requirements
Speeding
up appeals
Award of
costs
Permitted
development
rights
6000 page s of
guidance
reduced and
now
on web
1300 pages of
policy down to
less than 50
Major
InfrastructureSection
106
Use Class
Order
Statutory
consulteesCommunity
Infrastructure
Levy
Infrastructure
Act
NSIP
Conditions
Brownfield
package

6. Local Plans progress

7. New homes granted permission:
2007-2014
7
Source: Glenigan

8. Housing is a driver of growth
• Value of new housing £21.7bn in 2013, 31% new work in construction sector.
• Overall construction is around 6% of economic output.
8

9. House building supports employment
• Construction is about 6% of all jobs (2m jobs).
• Housing market also drives consumer confidence, and so wider spending.
9

10. Percentage of decisions in time
10
Speed of decisions

11. Outcomes
• 240,000 new homes approved in the year to September 2014,
up 17 per cent on previous year and highest level since 2007
• 78 per cent of major applications decided on time in the quarter
July-September 2014, up from 57 per cent in same quarter in
2012
• Time taken to determine an appeal reduced from average of 23
weeks to 15, following changes introduced in October 2013
• Around 12,400 home extensions and 1,800 office-to-residential
conversions got go-ahead in six months to September 2014
under new permitted development rights

12. Progress on Neighbourhood Plans
• 1400 communities have embarked on Neighbourhood Planning
• 200+ communities have published their neighbourhood plan for consultation
• 75+ successful examinations
• 52+ successful neighbourhood planning referendums
• 34 neighbourhood plans “made”
• 13 more referendums in March
• Communities are using their new power to
o choose where new housing should go eg Thame, South Oxfordshire
o grant planning permission eg Cockermouth, Allerdale (NDO)
o protect local green spaces eg Arundel, Arun
and more …..
12

13. Wider Initiatives
•Brownfield Implementation
•Right to Build
•Permitted Development
•CIL Review
•S106 Process
•Housing Design Standards
•Guidance - SUDS
13

14. FORWARD LOOK
• Implementation
• Land Availability
• Plan Making
• Red Tape Challenge
• Impact on Behaviour
14

15. What Might This Look Like?
• Have a vision
• Have a plan
• Have a commitment: understand resources
• Positive – make it happen – attitude
• Work with customers and wider community
• Consistency
• Speed – efficiency – active engagement
• Communication
• Team work – internal – external
• OUTCOMES, OUTCOMES, OUTCOMES
15

16. PLANNING AND GROWTH
Steve Quartermain
Chief Planner