The Government has announced an ‘overhaul’ of the local plan process in a bid to speed up development.
Councils will now be expected to create the plans within two and a half years, as opposed to a current average of seven, according to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG)
Changes include regular assessments ‘to help councils stay on track’ to meet targets; more clarity about how plans should be prepared and updated; and digital tools to increase transparency on available land for new development.
An extra £4.5m will also be available to fund salary bursaries for new planning roles, after the Government pledged to deliver 300 extra planners by the end of next year.
Housing and planning minister Matthew Pennycook said the Government was ‘determined to progress toward universal coverage of local plans’.
He said yesterday: ‘The steps we are taking today will ensure that local plans are simpler, faster to prepare and more accessible so that communities in every part of the country can more easily shape decisions about how to deliver the housing and wider development their areas need.’
