Scrapping strategies leads to uncertainty
The scrapping of regional strategies is another example of the new Government’s muddled thinking over the planning system according to a leading Birmingham property professional.
King Sturge’s Elle Cass described the move as “foolhardy” and said that the localism agenda being promoted would do nothing to help tackle the region’s housing shortage.
“The revocation of Regional Plans and their spatial development targets is a bold and possible foolhardy move,” she said. “This approach will do nothing but bring greater uncertainty to the planning system regarding delivery of much needed private and affordable housing.”
Ms Cass said that without regional and spatial targets for new housing, local councils would probably look to set their own individual local housing delivery targets in an “uncoordinated and haphazard” way with no consideration for cross boundary issues affecting environmental and sustainability issues which the Regional Strategy bodies attempted to address.
“How this will ensure councils’ responsibly and equitably accommodate new housing is currently unclear and I cannot see how this will assist in delivering a coordinated allocation of other community services such as health, education and policing that are linked to housing and population numbers.”
House prices could also rise in more affluent areas as local authorities refuse to consider developing areas of green belt. Ms Cass cited the example of Stratford where a moratorium on all new house building was put in place before the election which is now likely to remain in place under the new administration.
She said: “This will lead in many cases to a complete inertia and policy vacuum by local councils regarding working with developers and housing associations on housing delivery.
“It will also fail to assist in required cost savings for other linked public services.
“This situation also has severe consequences about how planning appeals are judged and determined.
“I also feel that the proposed financial incentives being proposed for local communities from new development is a white elephant. There has been an assertion that local communities do not already benefit from the planning process; this fails to recognise the significant contributions which development delivers through section 106 obligations.
“Encouraging local communities to welcome new businesses wishing to relocate to their area by giving back business rates to the local community is in danger of going down the route of buying planning permission. In any event, the reality of what this incentive will mean in financial terms for individual families is unlikely to be sufficient to remove vociferous objection to the delivery of some of the more contentious development projects.
“Although Section106 agreements are not perfect they have contributed considerably to improving the public realm and funding the regeneration of our towns and cities.”
