Colin Campbell on key issues after CDF meeting with Minister Pincher
To misquote the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, “the only constant in planning is change”… and we eagerly await the Planning White Paper (PWP) and this Government’s attempt to find the Holy Grail of a planning system.
In the run up to publication of the PWP, the Cambridgeshire Development Forum (CDF) was delighted that the Housing Minister Christopher Pincher attended its meeting on Friday 24th July 2020, to discuss potential planning reforms and current market conditions facing the development industry.
The meeting was attended by 25 forum members.
A wide range of topics were covered and members of the forum put forward a number of ideas for Government to consider as part of its planning reforms and in order to help support the market in current times. The broad thrust of the matters covered were:
The need to have up to date plans in place and for them to be kept up to date
The need to find a better way to assess and agree housing and employment targets, including potential for some form of strategic planning
The need and extent for reform – system is only as good as the culture within which it operates. And that applies across all parts of it, developers, public, LPAs, consultees. It can work. We need to make the best practice the common practice.
A need to ensure that reform does not distract from delivery and cause plans to be shelved or delayed
The need to better use of resources and for better project management of the planning application process
The potential role of Development Corporations and where and how they might best add value
The need to address the culture of the system
The need for Member training
The need to look at how supporting infrastructure is delivered and enable utility providers to forward fund critical infrastructure such energy and water supplies
The need to maintain support programmes in matters such as affordable housing funding, supporting infrastructure and tackling the current uncertainties which COVID has caused for those using Help to Buy where completion has been delayed
The Minister seemed to recognise the need to improve the operational effectiveness of the system. Fundamentally, he understood that delivery was a challenge and that the Government wants more certainty in planning and a streamlined, quicker, more flexible system.
As well as “build, build, build” he set out the Government aspirations for “buy, buy, buy” and wish to help and encourage people to be able to purchase homes.
No date was given for the PWP, but that was being “brought forward as soon as possible” and would outline the Government’s approach to challenges. Importantly, he recognised that change must come without causing delays and that there was a need to think through carefully the potential consequential impacts of actions. The Minister agreed to meet with the CDF again in three or four months’ time to continue the debate about planning reforms.
Only time will tell whether this Government will manage to achieve what so many others have set out to do.
About the Author
Colin Campbell has been Head of Strategic Land and Planning at Hill since 2016. Before joining Hill, he spent 27 years in private and public sector planning, with eight years spent as a Planning Director at a top national estate agency.
Follow Colin Campbell on LinkedIn.
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The content of the blogs represents the views of the author only and is his/her sole responsibility; it cannot be considered to reflect the views of the Cambridgeshire Development Forum. The Cambridgeshire Development Forum does not accept any responsibility for use that may be made of the information it contains.
