Recent News

Changes to National Policy

Draft policy released for consultation

The Government has recently published its consultation draft of the National Planning Policy Framework, which will replace all of the current PPG and PPS national policies, reducing hundreds of pages of planning policy into a single 65 page document. The policy framework builds on the Localism proposals by setting broad terms for each planning aspect and allowing individual authorities to set their detailed policy. The effect on transport, for example, is that there are no national car parking guidelines.

The transport chapter now encompasses just 13 paragraphs, spanning two and a half pages, replacing the 42 page document of PPG13. The thrust of the policy for small and medium sized developments is about promoting sites that are already sustainable or can be made sustainable cost effectively. For larger developments, schemes should include a mix of land uses that will minimise the need to travel, i.e. providing shops and schools together with housing and employment.

The framework also mentions “smarter use of technologies”, which could imply increased reliance on home-working through advancements such as ‘cloud’ computing. Further details are expected to be provided in the final version of the policy.

As expected, there is an emphasis on lower emissions as well as electric vehicles. There are already increasing requirements in some parts of the country to provide charging points for cars in a variety of development types and there is speculation that this may become a nationwide trend.

One of the key aspects of the emerging policy is that, subject to providing safe access and being a sustainable site (or capable of being such), “development should not be prevented or refused on transport grounds”. It also highlights that “the need to encourage increased delivery of homes and sustainable economic development should be taken into account”.

To find out how the new draft policy may affect your development aspirations, please give our team a call and we’ll be able to advise you accordingly.

Published 08.08.11