Cutting red tape - Public forum - Planning Advisory Service (PAS)

As well as combining SIs relating to the T&CP (GDP) Order, how about combining the Development Plan Regulations into one single consolidated set of Regs and committing to do this in future when new amendments are produced.

My candidate for review - the Advertisement regulations! Given the impact that these have on the quality of places, I have always been perplexed about the reason for keeping consideration of these apart from the rest of planning. Mainstreaming management of advertisement control would give a good opportunity for better local management of the environment, could be used as an effective tool for local economic development and could be subject to appropriate proportionate local control through local development orders. It would simplify the planning system and reduce the number of consents necessary for a development and reduce administrative costs.

The costs of Press Notice giving details of applications are significant to LPA's and to what end? Can any one point to a response received as a consequence of a Press Notice? With site notices, direct neighbour notifications, Community Engagement Exhibitions, the Council Web Site and email notifications, is there really a need to spend thousands of pounds of advertising in the Local Press?

I agree with Tim and have posted this suggestion on the Treasury site looking for cost cutting ideas. POS have long supported this, as did Killian Pretty. I have just taken a short paper on it to our local MP who has promised to put it on Pickles's desk. Here's hoping one last push........

I put together a combined DP regulations document of my own, as I was totally unable to work with three separate documents. No guarantee on accuracy, but I think it's not too far wrong. Happy to share. I agree that it would have been considerably more helpful if the DCLG had done it first though.

I think newspaper advertising is the least effective and expensive method of consultation on planning applications. Just the basic weekly list in the local press is around £500 per week and I'm fairly confident to say that neighbour notification letter are the most effective means of communicating details of developments to those most likely to be affected. Obviously planning applications are routinely displayed on our authority website also and consultation letters and site notices provide details of how to access these online documents. Surely newspaper advertising is not cost effective for local authority?

Hi Getting rid of the need to complete the agricultural holding declaration on application forms. It is totally irrelevant on 99.9% of applications and is probably the single most common reason that we have to send applications back Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 2005 SI 2005/2087 as amended etc Certificate under Article 7. This is very detailed but is a source of customer frustration Ceasing requirement to advertise planning applications in the local paper -Town and Country Planning (General Development Procedure) Order 2005 SI 2005/2087 as amended- section 8 and advertise on Council web site only saving significant costs of advertising. Camden LBC had a private bill and achieved this The new Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations SI 2010/948 be revisited as they are very complex and will require an army of accountants/surveyors/lawyers to calculate Simplifying the Town and Country Planning (General Development Order) Procedure Order 1995 SI 1995/418 as amended many many times Removal or significant simplification of the requirements for Environmental Impact Assessments - very complicated to work out and can result in 2 pre application submissions (one scoping and one screening ) and then have all the information with a planning application. SI 2008/2093 Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact) Assessment(Amendment) (England) Regulations 2008 and associated amendments circulars etc This is great fun isnt it??? Thanks to Simon - I will have a lookat his combined Regs Susan

stopping the newspaper adverts was agreed but the local newspaper industry managed to convince the then Govenment that it would result in the closure of many small local newspapers due to the loss of income. so the proposal was withdrawn. I would be sorry to see our local paper diw however I do not see it as the role of the local Planning Authority to keep it afloat!

Agree re. the publicity requirements for planning (and not just planning, what about cost of advertising Traffic Reg Orders). In the sprit of 'localism' this should be left to the local authority to determine how publicity should be carried out. If necessary, use the SCI to set out how this will be done and consult key stakeholders. I'm not aware of local groups who rely on this since they all receive the weekly list from us. As for the government response to the Killian Pretty follow-up consultation, the justification for not changing the requirements defies any logic (apart from keeping the newspapers happy). Come on Mr Pickles - this is a no brainer!

Hi All (esp @Susan Harley) Just got heads up from CLG that they are currently consulting on the amendments and consolidation of the EIA Regulations. The consultation can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/eiaregs2010consult and the news story can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/news/corporate/1682216 Best wishes, John.

FYI, there is a new 'barrier busting' website which the government has set up. http://barrierbusting.communities.gov.uk/ Regarding the costly barrier that is public notices for planning applications etc, I have read somewhere that the government's view is to reduce the amount of information required to be included in a press notice, rather than remove the requirement all together. However, surely the local newspapers will just increase the cost per column inch?? Is it the role of local government/taxpayer to subsidise the local newspaper??