Planning

Question 1

What is the Planning Application Process?

Answer 1

1. A planning application form is completed and submitted.
2. Application is entered on the council’s weekly register of applications received.
3. Application is advertised in various ways including at the site of the scheme – remember the notice outside the closed-down laundrette?
4. Consultation period begins – anyone who may be affected or concerned can comment
5. Planning officers prepare a comprehensive report about the proposal, including a recommendation.
6. Councillors on planning committee/sub-committee/full council make a decision on whether to accept the officer’s recommendation or not.
7. Appeals – if a planning application is refused, applicants can appeal to The Planning Inspectorate. This is an executive agency, i.e. it is not part of the Government machinery but it is “sponsored” by the Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (LUHC) department.
8. “Calling in” – The Secretary of State for LUHC may “call in” controversial applications for a range of reasons and make the final decision; might be one with national or regional significance, or if it’s not appropriate for council alone to decide. These are the exceptions, not the rule.

Question 2

Difference between development planning and development control?

Answer 2

Development planning = national/regional policy and strategy for what can happen and where, when it comes to land and property.

Development control = the putting this policy and strategy into practice. This development control process is where we come face to face with planning applications.

Question 3

What is the Role of Central Government?

Answer 3

How land and property can be used and developed is set by central government.
Planning policy is devised by Ministers* who rely on the advice of civil servants, and this policy is put into practice through legislation (laws made in Parliament by MPs.)
For example, a recent Act of Parliament made it easier to convert disused office buildings into homes.

Government policy on development is put into practice at local council level in two ways: Development planning and control.

Question 4

What is a conservation area?

Answer 4

An area in a town or city or village or other urban location which has a number of buildings which have common characters reflecting architectural or historical periods. Councils have the power to create these.

Question 5

What is the Green Belt?

Answer 5

The Green Belt refers to areas of land, or “zones” which surround or are between towns and cities in which development is particularly carefully controlled and mostly prohibited.

Question 6

What 1of 3 recommendations will the planning officers make to councillors on the planning committee?

Answer 6

1. Unconditional consent – approval, no alterations required
2. Conditional consent – approve, subject to conditions. E.g. they might recommend that a proposed housing scheme needs a better entrance road – maybe traffic lights - because traffic will be a hazard for kids at a school next door.
3. Refusal - Reject the application as submitted. This means the development cannot proceed. Ignoring the refusal notice would break the law.

Question 7

What is planning gain?

Answer 7

Councils sometimes are able to insist on planning permission/consent being dependent on developers carrying out additional specific work to improve the area where a development is taking place.

Question 8

How do you find and turn planning applications in stories?

Answer 8

1. Start at your local council website and its “planning portal”
2. Search on keywords – such as a postcode, or a road name or location - or simply browse the list of applications
3. Click and download the documents. The document you should read first is the planning application form. This provides a great deal of information about the proposal.
4. Write a first story based only on the planning application and any other relevant documents.
5. Then make calls to relevant parties for comment, reaction, etc. Steps 4 and 5 can be done together, depending on the proposal – experience helps but usually some sort of story can be created using only the details in the planning application