Issue - meetings

National Planning Policy Consultation

Meeting: 19/09/2024 - Planning Policy Committee (Item 103)

103 National Planning Policy Consultation pdf icon PDF 276 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

On 30 July 2024, the Government had begun a consultation on proposed changes to the planning system, including a draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the outcomes of a proposed revised standard methodology for calculating housing need. Some of the detail was contained in a consultation document which sat alongside the NPPF. The Government had also issued a Written Ministerial Statement and letters to Chief Executives and Leaders of Local Planning Authorities and the planning Inspectorate. The Committee received a report summarising the proposed changes. The report also sought delegated authority to submit a response to the consultation.

 

Officers explained that there were five themes to the consultation, and drew Members’ attention to two:

 

·         changes in the approach to housing need and how it was calculated

 

·         changes in relation to brownfield, greenbelt and greybelt definitions.

 

Given the proximity of the deadline for responses, recommendation B had been amended as follows:

 

B.    the Deputy Chief Executive, in consultation with the Planning Policy Working Group, be given delegated authority to submit a response to the Government’s consultation paper on changes to national planning policy by 24th September 2024.

 

The Chair had circulated a draft response to the Committee. There were 5 responses to questions where alternative views had been put forward. The Chair asked Members to submit their views on these before the final version was agreed.

 

During the debate, the following matters were discussed:

 

·         whether the definition of grey belt; land in the green belt comprising previously developed land (PDL) and other green belt land that made a limited contribution to the purposes of the green belt and was not subject to any the constraint listed in footnote 7 of the NPPF, was clear or if it could be better defined to reduce the risk of uncertainty around its meaning. It was important to understand what the Government meant by grey belt in order to understand how it would impact the District.

 

·         the ambiguity around the meaning of ‘vision-led’ transport, and the importance of ensuring infrastructure. It could suggest less infrastructure for less car use.

 

·         whether agreeing with the removal of the urban uplift would result in pressure to take additional development that London would not be able to achieve.

 

·         clarity was needed from the Government on whether development on the green belt was to be considered inappropriate or not, in the case that a 5-Year Housing Land Supply was not demonstrated or a Local Planning Authority failed to meet the Housing Delivery Test.

 

·         there were no further details at this stage about what the Government meant by modernising Planning Committees by introducing a national scheme of delegation.

 

R E S O L V E D – that:

 

A)   the report be noted; and

 

B)   the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Planning Policy Working Group, be given delegated authority to submit a response to the Government’s consultation paper on changes to national planning policy by 24th September 2024.