Government to review planning law

News this morning reveals the governments intention to get planning officers "off people's backs" with a relaxation of current rules in England.

The government will consult on allowing people, for a three-year period, to build larger extensions on houses - up to 8m long for detached homes or 6m for semi's or terraced houses rather than the 4m and 3m limits currently in place.  Along withe this a relaxation on converting loft space or garages and outbouildings into dwelling space will cease to need planning consent unless in conservation areas or listed buildings.

The measures will be put in place to assist what the government says will be a much needed boost to the housing market freeing up valuable time for planners to concentrate on increasing the housing quota shortfalls.  Given the approximately 400,000 prospective backlog of houses that have planning consent but have not yet been constructed this seems an unlikely justification.

The eight week turn around for simple planning applications, nearly double the period prior to the recent raft of public sector job cuts in planning departments, has shown to demonstrate district council's lack of resources in this area.  It seems rather that by reducing planners workloads a more ruthless justification of cuts can be argued by central government;

Here are the governments proposals on housing-building that will form part of the legislation:-

• Consult on a three-year relaxation of planning rules on extending homes and business premises.
• All householders would be able to build 6m long extensions without planning permission (it's currently 3m)
• Removing requirements for developers to include affordable housing - if they prove they make a site "commercially unviable".
• An extra £280m for the FirstBuy scheme to help would-be homeowners with a deposit.
• A new bill to provide £40bn in government guarantees to underwrite major infrastructure projects and £10bn to underwrite the construction of new homes.
• Funding of £300m to provide 15,000 affordable homes and bring 5,000 empty homes back into use.
• A new "major infrastructure fast-track" for big projects.
• Putting poorly performing council planning departments into "special measures" and allowing developers to bypass them if they fail to improve.

If you need help understanding the current planning guidelines or what these implications might have for your home or business please feel free to get in touch:

 www.architecturaldesignservices.org