PLANNING AND THE QUEENS SPEACH

2010-06-02 13:08:09

The changes to the planning system which we alluded to in our earlier article have now been included in the queens speech and look set to be debated in the house of commons in the autumn. Whilst there is some resistance from the RTPI, (Royal Town Planning Institute) this mainly relates to the detail of how the changes will be implemented rather than the substance of the proposals.

The changes will be implemented through the localism bill whose goals are to “shift power from the central state back into the hands of individuals, communities and local councils”. This step will put an end to the extra layer of governance provided by the regional assemblies who produce the regional spatial strategies, which have effectively told local councils how many new dwellings they are allowed to develop in their own area. In spite of the resistance from the RTPI we are pleased to see a more localised development plan regime.