Councils do not believe planning policy proposal will boost brownfield development

The Local Government Association (LGA) has questioned government proposals to amend the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in order to encourage development on brownfield land.

Writing in response to a Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) consultation, the LGA said that while it supports the Government's intention to optimise the number of homes built in sustainable locations, it does not believe a proposed approach to changing paragraph 129 of the NPPF would help.

In its consultation on supporting brownfield development, which closed to responses on Tuesday (26 March), DLUHC suggested amending paragraph 129 to read:

"Local planning authorities should refuse applications which they consider fail to make efficient use of land, taking into account the policies in this Framework, especially where this involves land which is previously developed. In this context, when considering applications for housing, authorities should give significant weight to the benefits of delivering as many homes as possible and take a flexible approach in applying planning policies or guidance relating to daylight and sunlight and internal layouts of development, where they would otherwise inhibit making the most efficient use of a site(as long as the resulting scheme would provide acceptable living standards)."

However, the LGA said that "councils must already seek to optimise housing on all developments and many urban councils across the country have been maximising their brownfield sites for decades".

It added: "What is more likely to happen with this proposed change is that other uses on site or infrastructure will be squeezed or minimised in order to achieve a higher density of homes, resulting in a poorer quality development."

The LGA also said the Government was "remiss" to conclude that the planning system is the barrier to developing brownfield sites, which it said was a sentiment "made clear through the proposals and statements in this consultation".

On this point, it highlighted figures that show local planning authorities approve nine in 10 planning applications.

Elsewhere, the LGA voiced "significant concerns" that the proposal to apply the presumption in favour of sustainable development on previously developed land where local planning authorities do not meet 95% of their Housing Delivery Test result could also lead to poor quality and potentially poorly located dwellings”.

The response also urged the Government to give clarity on how the proposal to give significant weight to the benefits of delivering as many homes as possible coincides with comments made by the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove, about protecting an area's character from significant growth in house building.

The Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) meanwhile largely supported the Government's proposals in the consultation, but warned that new urban brownfield schemes must be closely monitored to avoid poor quality homes or poorly planned developments.

Victoria Hills, Chief Executive of the RTPI, said: "We welcome the Government's drive to deliver more homes on brownfield land. However, it is crucial that new developments are well-planned and of high quality, and that they do not displace important commercial and industrial uses that play an important role in supporting sustainable mixed-use places including local economies."

Adam Carey