The government began consultation on proposals to reform the planning process at local and regional level. A draft statement (PPS11) showed how regional spatial strategies should be prepared and revised, placing a new emphasis on community involvement and partnership working, integration with other strategies, and making the strategies more regionally specific. Another draft statement (PPS12) set out how to prepare local development documents and explained how they would deliver the spatial strategy for the area, emphasising the need for community involvement and independent testing before being adopted. The government said that it was 'pioneering a new spatial planning approach and introducing the local development framework, which provides flexibility and responsiveness'. But a housing organisation said the guidance failed to recognise the lack of communication between housing and planning departments, and that they should be legally obliged to work together when producing local strategies for housing.
Source: Consultation Paper on Draft Planning Policy Statement 11 (PPS11) Regional Planning, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236) | Draft Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Development Frameworks, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister | House of Commons Hansard, Written Ministerial Statement 14 October 2003, columns 12-14WS, TSO (0870 600 5522) | Press release 13 October 2003, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000) | Press release 15 October 2003, Chartered Institute of Housing (024 7685 1700)
Links: PPS11 (pdf) | PPS12 (pdf) | Hansard | ODPM press release | CIH press release
Date: 2003-Oct
The government issued two consultation documents outlining changes to planning policy guidance for housing (PPG3). It said that the planning system should not be a brake on the supply of sites for housing in sustainable locations. The first consultation document looked at the issue of surplus employment and commercial sites, while the second proposed changes to make PPG3 better at influencing the size, type and affordability of housing. Local authorities warned that central intervention on development issues would not achieve the kind of sustainable communities that both local and central government wanted.
Source: Supporting the Delivery of New Housing, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236) | Influencing the Size, Type and Affordability of Housing, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister | Press release 21.7.03, Local Government Association (020 7664 3000)
Links: Supporting delivery (pdf) | Influencing size (pdf) | ODPM press release | CIH press release | LGA press release
Date: 2003-Jul
A report examined the implementation of housing planning policy guidance (PPG3) in local authority development plans and development control, and identified barriers to effective implementation.
Source: Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners, Delivering Planning Policy for Housing: PPG3 implementation study, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Link removed by ODPM
Date: 2003-Jul
Researchers examined whether there were substantive problems over new highways meeting the requirements of housing planning guidance (PPG3). It was found that none of those involved - developers, local highway authorities and planning authorities - had both the means and the motivation to explore innovative solutions to the provision of attractive, 'people focused' streets. New technical guidance was recommended.
Source: WSP, David Lock Associates and TRL, Better Streets, Better Places: Delivering sustainable residential environments, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (0870 1226 236)
Links: Report (pdf) | Briefing note (pdf)
Date: 2003-Jul
Statistical information was published on residential development in England. On a provisional estimate, 64 per cent of new dwellings in 2002 were built on previously-developed land, including conversions, compared with 63 per cent in 2001 and 61 per cent in 2000 (compared to a government national target that, by 2008, 60 per cent of new dwellings should be provided on previously-developed land and through conversions of existing buildings.)
Source: Land Use Change in England: Residential development to 2002, LUCS-18, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (020 7944 3000)
Links: Report | ODPM press release
Date: 2003-May
A think-tank report said that the government's housebuilding strategy reflects 'bureaucratic, top-down attitudes'. It argued that, while avoiding a planning free-for-all, a policy should be developed which gives planners scope to provide high-quality housing that is in tune with local sentiment, introduces more tax breaks for brownfield development, gives real incentives to councils by enabling them to keep the rates and council tax from new development, and boosts low-cost housing.
Source: Richard Ehrman and Crispin Kelly, Building More Homes, Politeia (020 7240 5070)
Links: None
Date: 2003-Mar
