Planning minister to launch national online guidance resource

The Planning Minister is to launch a new national online planning guidance resource for public testing and comment.

Nick Boles said: “Planning shouldn’t just be the preserve of technocrats, lawyers and council officers. Yet up to now even the experts have struggled to plough through all the background documents and find the right advice. To be effective our planning system needs to be supported by practical guidance that anyone can consult and follow.

“Having stripped away outdated advice, our new user friendly website brings together a simplified set of clear, concise guidance and publishes it altogether in one place. This will make the planning system much easier to navigate for everyone involved.”

The Department for Communities and Local Government said the advice on the site covered a number of measures (many previously announced) such as:

• “a new affordability test for determining how many homes should be built;
• opening up planning appeal hearings to be filmed;
• discouraging councils from introducing a new parking tax on people’s driveways and parking spaces;
• encourage more town centre parking spaces and end aggressive ‘anti-car’ traffic calming measures like speed bumps;
• housing for older people - councils should build more bungalows and plan positively for an ageing population;
• new neighbourhood planning guidance to help more communities start their own plans;
• new local green space guidance to help councils and local communities to plan for open space and protect local green spaces which are special to them.”

The DCLG stressed that none of the current planning practice guidance would be cancelled until the final online guidance is live in the autumn.

The new resource follows recommendations contained in Lord Taylor of Goss Moor’s review of planning practice guidance.

Lord Taylor said: “I believe the work that has been done to reduce and revise the existing planning guidance and launch the new online resource transforms the effectiveness, accessibility and accountability of the government’s planning guidance.

“By opening the draft guidance suite to public testing and comment we now have the opportunity to make sure it works and doubtless improve it. I would encourage anyone with an interest in the planning system to use the next six weeks while the site is open for comment to submit their feedback to help make the site even better.”