The Department for Communities and Local Government released the final Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth (PPS4) in December 2009.

PPS4 sets out the Government's comprehensive policy framework for planning for sustainable economic development in urban and rural areas. This replaces Planning Policy Guidance 4: Industrial, Commercial Development and Small Firms (PPG4) and Planning Policy Guidance 5: Simplified Planning Zones (PPG5) both published on 10 November 1992; Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres (PPS6) published on 21 March 2005; and the economic development sections of Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable Development in Rural Areas (PPS7) published on 3 August 2004.

Alongside PPS4, Planning for Town Centres: Practice guidance on need, impact and the sequential approach is intended to support the implementation of town centre policies. It is aimed at helping those involved in preparing or reviewing need, impact and sequential site assessments.

The consultation draft of Planning Policy Statement 4: Planning for Prosperous Communities was released in May 2009. The draft sought to update the policy framework for planning for sustainable economic development in urban and rural areas including town centres by streamlining planning policy. It proposed to integrate existing PPSs 6 and 4, as well as incorporate parts of PPS7. 

In its final form, this PPS will replace Planning Policy Guidance Note 4: Industrial,
commercial development and small firms (PPG4, 1992), Planning Policy Guidance Note 5: Simplified Planning Zones (PPG5, 1992) which will be republished as practice guidance and Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres (PPS6, 2005). It also replaces the objectives (i-iv) and paragraphs 1 (ii-vi), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 16 (i-ii), 17, 18, 19, 22, 30 (i-ii), 32, 34 (i-ii), 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40 of Planning Policy Statement 7: Sustainable development in rural areas (PPS7) and paragraphs 53, 54 and Annex D of Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport.

The RTPI responded to the draft PPS4 in July 2009. On balance, the RTPI considered that draft PPS4 made a valiant effort in moving towards the intended integration and streamlining of national planning policy. In particular, great advances have been made in focusing on policy, rather than practice guidance, and in clearly distinguishing between policies for plan-making and development management.

The integration and co-ordination of policies, in terms of addressing the “rigorous approach” outlined above,were not entirely successful in several respects, including:

• whether users will necessarily expect a document entitled “Planning for Prosperous Economies” to include policies on issues that are not necessarily economic in nature, including arts, culture, rural development, and non-residential parking standards (noting that within the new planning system, with increasing reliance in development management being placed on national policies, this is particularly unhelpful to non-professional users, and will require sign posting both within the PPS system, and by hard-pressed local planning authorities
• the extent to which the relationship between “economic development” and housing is properly addressed
• the lack of a resolution of the issue with existing PPG4/PPS6 on the locational principles for “economic development” that does not necessarily relate to town centres, including offices and ancillary uses in employment areas, quasi-retail uses like car showrooms, and the appropriateness of “town centre uses” at other highly-accessible locations, such as public transport interchanges outside of town centres; and
• clarifying the relationship between the apparent presumption in favour of “economic development” in PPS4 and the requirement in PPS1 to balance economic needs with social and environmental factors and the need to manage natural resources.

Relevant Policy Responses

Response to draft PPS4 Planning for Prosperous Communities (incorporating existing PPS6, PPS4 and some of PPS7) - July 2009

Response to draft PPS6 Planning for Town Centres - October 2008

Response to draft PPS4 Sustainable Economic Development - March 2008

Author:

Rebecca Coates

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

30-Nov-09

Categories:

Networks & Associations, Policy, Practice 

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