Neighbourhoods to take over planning responsibilities from councils: report

The Localism Bill could see neighbourhoods given the right to take over planning responsibilities held by local authorities, the Sunday Telegraph has reported.

The newspaper said residents will also be given the power to approve or reject proposals for new housing developments, schools and other public buildings in their areas.

The Bill was due to be published last month but is now widely expected to come out on Thursday (9 December).

Greg Clark, the Decentralisation Minister, told the Sunday Telegraph: "This government has ambitious proposals to make the [planning] system fit to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Above all, we want to change the philosophy behind local planning. We want to move away from a system with significant elements of imposition from above, to one with participation and involvement at its heart – not just warm words, or a commitment in principle, but real opportunities for people to have a say.

"We also want to move away from a system that seeks to resolve the different needs of different groups at a local level by imposing choices from above, towards one which enables a mature debate at local level."

The Sunday Telegraph said the Localism Bill is expected to:

• allow groups of householders to apply to become ‘neighbourhoods’ with defined boundaries, based on existing groups of streets or larger areas
• set out a presumption that local authorities would officially recognise these new neighbourhoods
• allow residents to prepare neighbourhood plans that would be voted on in local referendums, and
• If the plans were approved, councils would have to accept them.

The reforms would also see residents able to draw up ‘neighbourhood development orders’, which would contain agreed lists of categories of developments that individual householders could carry out without the need for planning permission. The paper said these orders might cover extra storeys, conservatories, loft conversions and other extensions.

It added that there would be financial incentives for neighbourhoods that approve housing developments. The new bodies would not be able to break national planning laws or block large-scale projects.