Localism Bill: Latest Government announcements

 

April

20 April: DCLG has published its evidence to the Regeneration Select Committee.

13 April: Planning Aid has received £1 million in grant funding under the Government Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning project to provide assistance to local groups developing neighbourhood plans.

13 April: A consultation on Planning for Travellers has been launched. Central guidance on compulsorily purchasing land for travellers sites will be removed, and regulations abolished. The consultation period runs until 6 July.

11 April: A group of councils have lost their judicial review of the coalition Government's overhaul of planning rules for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs).

8 April: Richard McCarthy, Director General at CLG, has warned industry representatives that where there is no local plan in place, a decision on whether to grant planning permission would be made according to national planning policies, including the presumption in favour of sustainable development announced in last month's Budget.

8 April: A consultation on  the "Relaxation of planning rules for change of use from commercial to residential" has been launched. It will to grant permitted development rights to allow changes of use from commercial to residential without the need for planning applications. The consultation period runs until 30 June.

6 April: The British Chambers of Commerce is to lead a local enterprise partnership network. It is intended to provide a forum for local business leaders to share ideas, solve problems and get the latest data they need to promote economic growth.

5 April: Planning Minister, Bob Neill has announced that the coalition will carry out an environmental assessment of its decision to revoke regional spatial strategies. An environmental report will be compiled for each region.

4 April: The final allocations for year 1 of the New Homes Bonus have been announced.

1 April: The 17 neighbourhood planning vanguards, who will receive £20,000 towards developing their plan from a £1 million government fund were announced.

March

31 March: A letter has been sent to all chief planning officers in England by Steve Quartermain. It outlines the Growth Review which outlines proposals for planning reform in light of the economic recession.

30 March: Details of the first six sites to be made available under the Build Now, Pay Later scheme have been published.

30 March: Bob Neill has written to local authority chief planners regarding the preparation and monitoring of local plans. It included the withdrawal of three pieces of guidance on local plan monitoring.

29 March: 'Sustainable Communities Act 2007: Inspiring the Big Society' a consultation on regulations has been launched. The consultation runs until 20 June.

29 March: A Treasury spokesperson has said that the proposed land auction pilots in which public land with planning permission is auctioned off to developers in a bid to encourage development are unlikely to be in operation for at least a year.

25 March: The first four new generation enterprise zones have been announced as Nottingham, Liverpool, Manchester and East London.

24 March: The Enterprise Zone Propospectus has been published to support the 21 enterprise zones announced in the Budget.

23 March: RTPI President, Richard Summers has given his reaction to the changes to the planning system announced in the Budget, saying Britain’s planners fear a ‘tin shed’ England within 10 years. The RTPI has also published our analysis of the implications of the Budget proposals.

23 March: In annoucing the Budget, the Chancellor of the Exchequer devoted a significant part of his speech to planning reform. The details of the changes are contained in ‘The Plan for Growth’. CLG has issued a summary of the budget proposals.

22 March: RTPI President, Richard Summers responded to Eric Pickles attack on planners.

22 March: The Commons Environmental Audit Committee has said that the criteria for the "presumption in favour of sustainable development" must be set out in legislation.

21 March: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles has said the planning system is a 'drag anchor to growth' in a speech on localism to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI).

21 March: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles has said that local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) will be 'at the heart' of the enterprise zones expected in the Budget.

18 March: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps is due to write to to local planning authorities to urge them to consider rewriting Section 106 (S106) planning agreements where developments have stalled.

17 March: Next weeks budget is expected to contain measures that allow for the scrapping of the requirement for planning approval to convert a commercial property into residential use. Communities Minister, Eric Pickles believes that 250,000 new homes could be delivered by converting all the long-term empty office space currently on the market.

17 March: The Commons Communities and Local Government Committee has published its report, concluding that the intended abolition of regional spatial planning strategies leaves a vacuum at the heart of the English planning system which could have profound social, economic and environmental consequences set to last for many years.

16 March: The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee have published Sustainable Development in the Localism Bill.

11 March: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark has vowed to make it "explicit" in the Localism Bill that neighbourhood level plans must conform with the proposed National Planning Policy Framework.

10 March: The eight Community Infrastructure Front Runners have been announced. The scheme is intended to help local authorities take the best approach when implementing the CIL in their area, and to share their learning and good practice with others. It is being led by PAS.

10 March: CLG chief planner, Steve Quartermain has written to local planning authorities about the National Planning Casework Unit. He said, "A new unit has been established and with immediate effect it will be taking over the planning casework previously dealt with by the government office network."

9 March: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps has written to the Design Council urging them to help developers work with local communities to bring forward creative and innovative designs that respond to local character and identity, and encourage them to "think outside the identikit Legoland box”.

8 March: The RTPI has responded to the attacks by the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Business Secretary that planning red tape is holding back development.

8 March: A consultation with local authorities is taking place as part of the review of statutory duties which government departments place on local authorities. Local authorities are being asked which duties they would like to be removed.

8 March: The planning system's role in combating climate change is underlined in the draft cross-government Carbon Action Programme launched today. 

7 March: In a speech to the Conservative Party’s spring conference, chancellor George Osborne announced the reintroduction of enterprise zones, aimed at boosting economic growth by introducing tax breaks and relaxing planning rules. Full details of the policy will be set out in the Budget on 23 March.

7 March: The London Thames Gateway Development Corporation (Planning Functions) (Amendment) Order 2011 was laid before Parliament. From 1 April, London Thames Gateway Development Corporations planning functions in the London Riverside area will be returned to the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Havering, and part of Newham.

5 March: In their speeches to the Conservative Spring Conference David Cameron and George Osborne have both criticised planning, with Cameron describing planners as "enemies of enterprise". The RTPI responded.

2 March: The Transport Select Committee published its third report of session 2010–11, Transport and the Economy. It says "The Government has not provided an assessment of the implications of its decisions; nor explained how its investments will deliver the growth and rebalancing that it is seeking". The RTPI gave evidence to the Committee.

3 March: Speaking to the City of London at Mansion House, Secretary of State Vince Cable said that planning red tape is "stifling" Britain’s high streets by preventing the development of new shops and offices. He reportedly said "At the moment there is very often a presumption against development because of deliberate obstruction or because that is the way that local planning operates". The RTPI has responded.

3 March: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark has told Parliament he is considering setting a higher minimum number of participants in the neighbourhood plan making regime. A committee of three had been originally suggested, but following arguments this is too small, a figure of 20 is being considered.

1 March: Speaking at the National Council of Voluntary Organisations conference the Communities Minister, Eric Pickles outlined measures in the Localism Bill, including community rights to buy local assets and run local services that are designed to make it easier for community groups to make a difference to their local area.

February

28 February: The RTPI has formally responded to the National Planning Policy Framework consultation.

28 February: A short guide on pre-application consultation with communities has been published. It sets out how the provision will work in practice and seeks views on which applications it should apply to.

28 February: The consultation on High Speed Rail:Investing in Britain's Future has been opened. It will run until 29 July. Contribute to the RTPI response.

25 February: Planning Aid England and Planning London have submitted a joint bid for funding to the government’s 'Supporting Communities and Neighborhoods in Planning fund'. An announcement on whether the bid has been successful in obtaining grant funding from March 31 is expected in the coming weeks.

24 February: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark has indicated that the presumption in favour of sustainable development may now be included within the Localism Bill. 

24 February: Bids to the LEP Capacity Fund have been invited. £1 million is available in the first round and bids should be submitted by 31 March.

24 February: CALA Homes have been granted permission to appeal the recent High Court decision in its fight against the Government's claim that its intention to abolish regional housing targets should be considered when deciding on planning applications. A hearing is expected in early May.

21 February: CLG has responded to the suggestion by the Woodland Trust that forests are still under threat due to planning reforms being considered by the Government

17 February: It has been confirmed that the consultation on the future management of the Public Forest Estate has been halted and all forestry clauses in the Public Bodies Bill will be removed. It was also announced that an independent panel of experts will examine forestry policy in England and report in the autumn.

17 February: The final design of the New Homes Bonus scheme has been announced, along with almost £200m of funding available in the first round of the scheme.

16 February: RenewableUK has published details of the industry's protocol on payments from wind farms to community benefit funds. The Protocol specifies a £1,000 minimum payment per year, per megawatt of installed wind power during the lifetime of the wind farm. The decision on how the funds will be allocated will rest with the local community. The initiative has Government support.

15 February: Decentralistation Minister, Greg Clark quoted extensively from the RTPI proposed amendment to clause 90 on strategic planning and the 'Duty to Cooperate'. It reinforced his point that there should "be a very general duty to co-operate, not confined to local authorities but extending to all the relevant public bodies that have a contribution to make on spatial planning."

14 February: The RTPI has put forward a proposed amendment to clause 90 on strategic planning and the Duty to Co-operate

11 February: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark has pledged that local planning authorities are to be given additional central government funding to help them support local communities in the drawing up of the proposed neighbourhood plans. Details will be announced shortly.

11 February: It has been confirmed that the Design Council and the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) are to merge from 1 April.

9 February: The UK's biggest banks - Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, RBS have agreed to provide £1 billion of funding to support regional growth and £200 million to help set up a new Big Society Bank.

8 February: It has been announced that 'clawback rights' that stopped community and voluntary groups selling or changing the use of community land or buildings that were funded by specific historic government grant programmes will end.

7 February: The High Court has agreed that the Coalition Government's intended abolition of Regional Strategies can be taken into account when making planning decisions.

4 February: A consultation on proposals to introduce the Community Right to Buy and Community Right to Challenge have been launched. The consultation period runs until 3 May 2011.

4 February: Liverpool City Council has withdrawn as a Big Society Vanguard as a direct consequence of the Coalition Government's funding decisions. The other three Big Society testbeds are in Sutton, Windsor and Maidenhead and Eden Valley in Cumbria.

4 February: A select committee inquiry into regeneration has been announced following the publication of 'Regeneration to enable growth: What Government is doing in support of community-led regeneration'. Written evidence is invited by 18 March.

3 February: The National Assembly for Wales’ Sustainability Committee have argued that English and Welsh planning processes are so different that discrete Welsh legislation is needed to consolidate existing policy and improve systems for Wales. New legisation to support “plan-led” approach based on local authority area-specific development plans was recommended.

2 February: There have been reports that Business Minister, Vince Cable is planning to reinstate six regional government offices, because of a need for "a policy presence outside Whitehall to ensure it can communicate effectively with local enterprise partnerships, the business community and other bodies, including local authorities”.

2 February: The new Community Right to Reclaim Land was announced. It plans to give members of the public the right to reclaim and develop unused public sector land and buildings for new development.

1 February: Culture secretary Jeremy Hunt has set out his proposals for the future of CABE in a letter to deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. The 125 strong commission is to be dissolved with around 20 of its staff being transferred to the Design Council, who's remit will be expanded ‘to cover architecture and the design of the built environment'.

January

31 January: In an impact assessment report on the Localism Bill, the Government predicts 1,910 neighbourhood plans will be created in the five years following the Bill’s implementation.  In total, 55 per cent of neighbourhoods are expected to create neighbourhood plans after 11 years, out of approximately 7,618 neighbourhoods based on the number of electoral wards.

31 January: Regeneration to enable growth: What Government is doing in support of community-led regeneration has been published. It explains the Governments approach of supporting and encouraging local authorities and residents to drive local regeneration.

27 January: Trudi Elliot, RTPI Chief Executive gave evidence to the Localism Bill Committee. She emphasised that changes to the Localism Bill are still needed to create an effective planning system.

27 January: Giving evidence to the Localism Bill Committee, Communities Ministers, Bob Neill, Greg Clark and Andrew Stunell said the Government is open to amending the Localism Bill to include a stronger requirement for councils to collaborate on matters such as strategic planning.

27 January: A consultation document on The Future of the Public Forest Estate has been published. The consultation period runs until 21 April.

27 January: The Commons Energy and Climate Change Committee has recommended that ministers should delay ratification of the new suite of energy National Policy Statements (NPSs), whilst other planning reforms are clarified and the Government decides on electricity market reform.

24 January: Greg Clark in a speech to the Planning Officers Society Neighbourhood Planning Conference has urged planners to grasp the Big Society, as he attempted to address several key concerns about the coalition Government's planning reforms.

21 January: Almost 450 bids have been submitted by todays deadline for the first round of the Government's £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund. The applications will be assessed by the RGF independent advisory panel, chaired by Lord Heseltine.

20 January: The RTPI have produced a short introductory guide to the aspects of the Localism Bill that are relevant to planning in Wales.

20 January: The 26 members of the Localism Bill committee have been announced. The Chairs are David Amess and Hugh Bayley.

18 January: The Localism Bill has now been sent to a Public Bill Committee for scrutiny and a call for written evidence has been issued.

17 January: The House of Commons second reading of the Localism Bill took place. The Bill has been passed by a vote. Full text of the debate is available.

14 January: The RTPI is seeking 8 key amendments to strengthen the Localism Bill. Full details about the suggested amendments are given in our Briefing for MPs'.

10 January: The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee has urged that DEFRA is stripped of its responsibility for promoting sustainable development across Whitehall and instead hand the role to the Cabinet Office.

10 January: New incentives for councils to tackle the blight of empty homes by matching the council tax raised for every empty property brought back into use have been announced.

7 January: The Supporting Communities and Neighbourhoods in Planning: Prospectus was published. Around £3 million p.a. is available to the grant recipients to provide advice, guidance and assistance to local community groups in relation to the current planning system. Applications are invited by 21 February. The RTPI responded.

7 January: The time period before councils can step in to seize empty properties has been extended from 6 months to 2 years. Empty Dwelling Management Orders will be limited to empty properties that have become magnets for vandalism or squatters.

6 January: Prime Minister, David Cameron has said reform of the planning system will be a key strand of the coalition Government's plans to boost economic growth.

6 January: A £4m capacity fund for (LEPs) has been announced. It will provide small amounts of money to help LEPs pay for analytic work to assess the economic circumstances of the local area. Further details will be announced at a conference in the Spring.

6 January: Plans for a UK network of German-style technology and innovation centres have been announced. A paper by the Technology Strategy Board calls on businesses, academics and other interest groups to comment on the proposals and help shape how the centres will be developed.

5 January: An initiative to create an "action plan" to make it easier for people to build their own homes, whether on their own or as part of a community effort, through the proposed Community Right to Build has been launched.

4 January: Local Government Minister, Grant Shapps has said that provisions within the Localism Bill will free councillors from restrictions that prevent them from championing local issues. He has written to all local authority leaders in England.

3 January: Guidelines have been scrapped on car parking provision for new residential development and guidance encouraging higher parking charges in town centres. The change has been made by deleting the relevant advice set out in Planning Policy Guidance 13: Transport (PPG13) and Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing (PPS3).

3 January: The Government is urging councils to promote electric vehicle charging points in new developments, without making developments unaffordable. The intention to allow charging points to be built on streets and in outdoor car parks without the need for planning permission was also announced.

December

30 December: Minister, Bob Neill has pledged that a public consultation will look at the use of 'restrictive covenants' on former public houses that currently prevents many community pubs and hubs from reopening again as public houses or entertainment venues.

20 December: The Government has announced its review of the National Planning Policy Framework. The deadline is for responses is 28 February 2011. Contribute to the RTPI response.

17 December: The RTPI Head of Policy gave evidence to the Energy and Climate Change Select Committee.

17 December: The Planning Inspectorate is to cut staff as its administrative budget is slashed by 35 per cent.

16 December: Mr Justice Lindblom as lifted the temporary stay on the government's statement that its plans to abolish RSS must be regarded as a material consideration in planning decisions. The Secretary of State will write to all local planning authorities and the Planning Inspectorate to inform them of the pending judicial review challenge to his statement, scheduled for the week beginning 17 January 2011.

16 December: A round up of industry reactions to the Localism Bill.

16 December: Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell outlined a programme of work to examine a number of areas and to develop detailed proposals for consultation, aimed at improving the system of building regulation in England.

15 December: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark wrote to all local authorities asks councils to consult their communities on how they would like to improve their local area, take whatever action they deem appropriate, and request the Government remove any bureaucratic barrier which is stopping them.

14 December: The Localism Bill has now been published in full. The RTPI responded. Podcast: Jim Claydon interviews Kelvin MacDonald about the 12 tests of Localism.

13 December: The Localism Bill was only published in part after 18:00 this evening. The material that has been published can be seen here or downloaded here (pdf, 750kb). An essential guide to the Bill was also published.

13 December: Business Minister, Vince Cable and Communities Minister, Eric Pickles announced that three more LEPs for "New Anglia" covering Norfolk and Suffolk, the Black Country, and Worcestershire have been given the go-ahead.

9 December: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles tweeted that the Localism Bill will be published on Monday 13 December.

9 December: Local authorities are invited to apply to become Neighbourhood Planning Vanguards. Around a dozen places are being sought to give insight into how neighbourhood planning will work in practice. The closing date for applications Monday 14 February 2011.

7 December: The RTPI has set out our twelve tests for the Localism Bill.

7 December: The Transport Select Committee has been hearing evidence on their inquiry on Transport and the Economy. RTPI Senior Vice President, Richard Summers appeared on behalf of the RTPI.

7 December: New guidance has been published from Government on whether the revocation of regional strategies should be considered a material consideration in planning decisions.

6 December: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles and Planning Minister, Greg Clark outlined proposals to decentralise and streamline the planning system, ahead of the publication of the Localism Bill.

3 December: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark has written to the RTPI stating that the RTPI Planning Aid England contract and funding will not be continued beyond the 31st March 2011.

1 December: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles announced plans that will give the Mayor of London and Borough councils and neighbourhoods greater decision making powers over the city's housing, regeneration, economic development, and Olympic legacy as part of the Localism Bill. 

November

29 November: Following Cala Homes' second legal challenge, a court has placed a temporary block on the government's claim that its plans to abolish RSS must be regarded as a material consideration in planning decisions.

25 November: Housing minister, Grant Shapps has scrapped the proposed HCAs core housing standards. Work will now begin on a new Local Standards Framework that will be developed and maintained by industry and councils.

23 November: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced plans for the reform of the HCA into a smaller enabling body. It includes a 50 percent cut in running costs and a radical reorganisation of regional boundaries.

19 November: CALA Homes have launched a new legal challenge against the government's insistence that the ruling against the abolition of Regional Strategies changes little.

18 November: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark set out further detail on how neighbourhood plans and the government’s wider planning reforms will operate. He described the Localism Bill as "imminent".

18 November: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark confirmed the community infrastructure levy will be continued. It will be reformed, with a proportion of the funds raised being passed directly to the local neighbourhood.

17 November: Planning Minister, Bob Neill has rejected a parliamentary call to mandate planning inspectors to refuse wind farm schemes which generated unanimous community opposition.

15 November: A consultation on proposals for changes to planning application fees in England was published. The closing date for responses is 7 January. View the RTPI response.

12 November: CABE announced it will be wound up in it's current form by March 2011. They are now working with Government and others to try to find a way to ensure the advice CABE provides remains available.

12 November: A consultation seeking views on the implementation of the New Homes Bonus was published. The closing date for responses is 24 December. View the RTPI response.

10 November: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles has responded to the High Court ruling that he acted unlawfully in revoking the system of regional strategies in England. Steve Quartermain has written to Chief Planning Officers, stating the letter of 27 May announcing the revocation should continue to be used as a material consideration. The RTPI responded. PINS has issued guidance for Inspectors on the impact of the CALA homes mitigation. 

9 November: Defra have launched a consultation, asking the public to contribute ideas on ways to improve the way National Parks are cared for. Defra will consider proposals and publish a response in Spring 2011.

8 November: CLG published it's Business Plan 2011-2015, detailing its policy timetable. It includes the publication of the new national planning framework by April 2012; and that funding will be in place to help town and parish councils to develop neighbourhood plans by April 2011.

6 November: Speaking at the RTPI, Politicians in Planning Conference, Planning Minister, Bob Neill explained that electoral wards and parish councils are likely to form the basis of neighbourhood plan boundaries.

3 November: Business Minister, Mark Prisk in response to the Penfold Review, announced new plans to streamline development consents regimes for businesses in order to encourage development and stimulate economic growth.

October

29 October: Environment Minister, Caroline Spelman has published a letter sent to MP's outlining its intention to fundamentally reform the public forestry estate, with diminishing public ownership and a greater role for private and civil society partners, in response to speculation that 374,000ha of land overseen by the Forestry Commission is set to be sold off.

28 October: White Paper on Local Growth: realising every place's potential was published by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. It promised a new "streamlined planning system" along with 24 local enterprise partnerships (LEPs).

25 October: The CLG Select Committee enquiry into the abolition of regional spatial strategies has been hearing evidence. RTPI Junior Vice President, Colin Haylock appeared today on behalf of the RTPI.

25 October: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles has been accused at the High Court of unlawfully scrapping regional housing targets in pursuit of the government's 'Big Society' initiative. A judgement is expected later this week.

25 October: Prime Minister, David Cameron announced the National Infrastructure Plan. Nationally significant infrastructure projects will be considered by the new Major Infrastructure Planning Unit, (formerly the IPC), with a final decision by ministers. Details will be announced by CLG by the end of 2010.

22 October: CLG have announced that administrative budgets will be cut by 33 percent and that 40 percent of jobs at the Department may go.

20 October: The future of the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) is uncertain after DCMS withdrew £5 million in funding.

20 October: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps wrote to local authorities informing them of the CSR settlement for housing. It includes £100 million as part of the national affordable housing programme to bring empty homes back into use.

20 October: A letter from Communities Minister, Eric Pickles to local authority Chief Executives indicated that there is money for the implementation of open source planning. In years one and two of the CSR period this is in the form of a grant, in years three and four it is rolled into formula grant. 2011-12 £5m, 2012-13 £10m, 2013-14 £15m, 2014-15 £20m. 

20 October: As part of the CSR, it was announced that more than £900 million has been earmarked for the New Homes Bonus over the next four years, with £200 million allocated in the first year. A consultation on the scheme will be launched next month.

20 October: Chancellor George Osborne announced details of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2010 (CSR) in Parliament. It includes a cut in revenue funding to local authorities from Government of 26 per cent in real terms between 2010-11 and 2014-15. The RTPI responded and what the RTPI is doing to support members.

20 October: CLG confirmed that third party rights of appeal will not be included in the Decentralisation and Localism Bill.

18 October: DECC has announced a consultation on the revised draft National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure. View the RTPI response.

14 October: CLG have published a consultation on proposals to make changes to the General Permitted Development Order (GPDO) to give a permitted development right for change of use planning permission for schools development. View the RTPI response.

14 October: Cabinet Office Minister, Francis Maude, announced the full list of quangos under review. It includes the retention of the Environment Agency and Natural England, but the future of CABE and the Sustainable Development Commission remains under review.

13 October: Small Businesses Minister, Mark Prisk reiterated a statement made in a letter to town halls in June that said some of the RDAs’ responsibilities would be led by central government.

12 October: Communities Minister, Andrew Stunell announced has outlined a new "fair deal" for Gypsies and Travellers. Following consultation, the government intends to commence Section 318 of the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, designed to extend tenancy rights for travellers in authorised local authority traveller sites by including them in the Mobile Homes Act 1983.

6 October: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps confirmed that the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) is to escape the Governments cull of quangos, and will continue to operate in a slimmed down form.

5 October: A CLG spokesperson confirmed that the Home on the Farm rural housing initiative is to be "set alongside" Community Right to Build.

4 October: Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference Local Government Minister, Bob Neill, has confirmed that Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) will be allowed to go ahead in London despite initial concerns that separate arrangements would apply.

4 October: Transport Minister, Phillip Hammond has announced the Government’s preferred option for the high speed rail route will be Y-shaped, with two separate corridors. A consultation on the route will take place early next year.

3 October: Speaking at the Conservative Party Conference Communities Minister, Eric Pickles again suggested that local authority planning departments could be merged. He said, "Councils should share services, work across boundaries to drive down costs and protect front line services". The RTPI responded.

1 October: Changes to planning law surrounding partially implemented outline planning permissions came into effect through the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2010. A letter outlining the changes was sent to all Chief Planning Officers (pdf) and guidance on Greater Flexibility for Planning Permissions has been published.

September

28 September: Communities Minister, Bob Neill announced a consultation on proposals to streamline three sets of regulations covering tree preservation orders in England.

22 September: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps has lowered the threshold for referendum approval of projects proposed through his Right to Build scheme from the original proposal of 90 percent, down to 75 percent.

22 September: Local Transport Minister, Norman Baker announced plans for a new Local Sustainable Transport Fund to challenge local transport authorities outside London to develop packages of measures that support economic growth and reduce carbon in their communities.

7 September: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced amendments to regulations for houses in multiple occupation, which will come into effect on 1 October. It is accompanied by a letter to Chief Planning Officers.

7 September: the Government confirmed it has received 56 local enterprise partnership proposals. They will be considered in detail ahead of the publication of the White Paper on sub-national economic growth and the introduction of the Localism Bill.

August

29 August: Communities Minister Eric Pickles announced the Government’s intention to revoke Planning Circular 01/06 and Circular 04/07, relating to planning for Gypsy and Travellers subject to necessary impact assessments.

13 August: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles announced the Audit Commission is to be abolished.

10 August: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps has announced that the Place Survey, due to be conducted this Autumn will not go ahead. 

9 August: A consultation on proposals revoking four sets of rules about Environmental Impact Assessments, replacing them with a streamlined set of regulations has been launched.  Input into the RTPI response to government.

9 August: The New Homes Bonus is announced. It will aim to give local communities who agree to growth additional funding to spend as they wish.

July

29 July: Commons Select Committee launched on the Government’s plans for localism and decentralisation of public services.

28 July: Commons Select Committee launched on Abolishing Regional Spatial Strategies.

28 July: Commons Select Committee launched on Transport and the Economy.

27 July: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps set out plans to allow more flexible approaches to achieving zero carbon homes, including contributions to community projects to provide energy such as district heating and wind turbines.

23 July: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps set out a vision to protect and preserve rural village life together with The Community Right to Build leaflet, a Background paper and FAQs. The RTPI responded.

22 July: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles announced the plan to abolish the 8 Regional Government Offices.

8 July: CLG Structural Reform Plan announced.

6 July: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles wrote to Chief Planning Officers on the revocation of regional strategies. 29 organisations, led by the RTPI have written to Eric Pickles in response. The Planning Inspectorate have issued guidance for planning inspectors. 

June

29 June: National Housing and Planning Advice Unit is scrapped. The RTPI responded.

29 June: Joint letter to local authorities and business leaders from Communities Minister, Eric Pickles and Business, Innovation and Skills Minister, Vince Cable outlined plans for Local Enterprise Partnerships.

29 June: The abolition of the Infrastructure Planning Commission was confirmed. It will be replaced by the Major Infrastructure Planning Unit within the Planning Inspectorate. The RTPI responded.

25 June: Comprehensive Area Assessments to be abolished.

18 June: Education Minister, Michael Gove stated the Government’s commitment to making it easier to secure sites for new schools. 

17 June: Announcement by Communities Minister, Eric Pickles that Regional Local Authority Leaders' Boards are to be swiftly abolished, following the revocation of RRSs.

17 June: Housing Minister, Grant Shapps announced proposals for changes in legislation to enable councils to have greater flexibility to manage concentrations of Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) shared housing in their area.

10 June: Housing Planning Delivery Grant for 2010-11 is cut. The RTPI responded.

9 June: Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark announced a reissue of PPS3: Housing with amendments removing private residential gardens from the definition of previously developed land and removing the indicative minimum density. Details of the RTPI and industry response, plus suggested practice advice and an opportunity to share your experiences.

May

27 May: Communities Minister, Eric Pickles sent a letter to all Chief Planners outlining the abolition of regional strategies. The RTPI responded.

 

Localism Bill: Latest Government announcements  Localism Bill: RTPI Activity

Author:

sarah lewis

Publisher:

The Royal Town Planning Institute

Date:

15-Mar-11

Categories:

Policy, Practice 

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