The LGA is looking for feedback and evidence from councils to inform our response to:
- The Government consultation on Planning Performance and Planning Contributions - deadline 4 May
- The Communities and Local Government Committee inquiry into the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – deadline 8 May
We’d welcome your views on these issues and it would be helpful if you were able to share any responses you have made or are making with us.
The particular issues and evidence we are interested in are:
Planning performance and planning contributions
The Government has recently launched a consultation on criteria for identifying under-performing planning authorities and proposals for minimum thresholds within Section 106 agreements for affordable housing. On designating ‘poorly performing’ authorities the LGA’s view is that this an unnecessary and heavy handed approach and that the best way to improve performance is through a sector led approach.. On the minimum thresholds for S106, the LGA has raised concern that, it may have unintended consequences and in many areas, proposals will undermine councils' ability to deliver affordable housing.
As part of our response to the consultation we would like to include:
- Recent examples to illustrate that councils already negotiate with developers on s106 contributions to ensure that development can go ahead – we are particularly keen for examples relating to developments of fewer than 10 units.
- An assessment of the impact that a 10 unit threshold for affordable housing contributions would have on councils’ ability to deliver affordable housing – we are keen for councils to provide any brief qualitative or quantitative data that would illustrate impact e.g. a 10 unit threshold would lead to an x% reduction or a decrease of x in affordable housing units; the total value of affordable housing contributions received from minor development in x year was x – that enabled x council to deliver x numbers of affordable housing units.
- Detail on any other unintended consequences arising from a minimum national threshold.
Parliamentary Inquiry on the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – Communities and Local Government Committee
The committee has announced that they will be undertaking an inquiry into the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework. This is an important opportunity to feed in local experiences of using the NPPF to date. We would welcome your views both on elements that are working well to deliver a local plan-led system and issues that need to be addressed (including any proposed solutions) to inform our response to the review.
Please send any views or other information through to jo.allchurch@local.gov.uk by 26 April 2014
