The review, to be undertaken by Joanna Killian, chief executive of Essex County Council, and David Pretty, former group chief executive of Barratt Developments plc, will be aimed at building on existing improvements already underway.
‘Planning Applications: A Faster And More Responsive System’ will look at issues such as where bottlenecks in the system currently occur, the implications of a greater use of technology in the planning system and where unnecessary paperwork, especially duplication, occurs.
Communities Secretary, Hazel Blears, said: “The planning system is how we shape our future and we want to make it greener, more efficient and more empowering for local communities. Good progress is being made but we want to create a more user-friendly system.
“By removing red tape and unblocking the bottlenecks that are slowing down applications, we can create a planning system for people that makes it easier to apply, easier to be heard and easier to be green.”
Combined with the review announcement was the unveiling of extra funds for Planning Aid, the resource which aims to support local people in having a greater say in the planning process.
Responding to the news of the planning review, Brian Berry, director of external affairs at the Federation of Master Builders (FMB), commented: “FMB is pleased that the government is at long last trying to cut back on the planning red tape which is holding back the much needed housing that this country needs and deserves. If the government doesn’t get to grips with planning reform, it has no chance at all of meeting the housing targets it announced only last Summer.”
Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, added: “This review is important. The government must get to grips once and for all with the planning system and make it fit for purpose for the 21st century.”
He commented: “The acid test of this review will be whether it can effectively tackle the over-long planning process, unnecessary red tape and deliver land at a faster rate than is occurring currently. Despite all the efforts made to date, the current planning system still takes far too long to identify appropriate sites for development and is riddled with unnecessary delays.”
