Build Build Build
The Government has identified construction as a means to rebuild the country, investing in infrastructure and making changes to planning rules to facilitate development.
The Housing Secretary announced on 22 June that planning permissions due to expire between the beginning of lockdown and the end of the year would be extended to 1 April 2021. Therefore, extant permissions not implemented by 23 March and due to expire before 31 December 2021, amounting to an estimated 400 permissions covering 24,000 homes, have a window of opportunity to be built out without requiring fresh planning consent. Jenrick also confirmed that the trialled multi strand approach to dealing with planning appeals will continue, expediting decisions.
More recently the Prime Minister, behind a “Build Build Build” banner, announced a raft of changes to the current planning system, the rationale, again, to facilitate development and support the high street. The plans include reforming the Use Classes Order to allow more flexibility for more units and expansion of the types of units that can convert to residential use without a planning application; allowing demolition and rebuilding of vacant units for residential use without requiring a planning application and; allowing owners to build additional space above their properties, subject to neighbour consultation, using a fast track process. A cross party group are also to look at more efficient management of public sector land, enabling land release.
These measures and further review of the planning system, described by Government as the most radical reforms since the Second World War, are to be set out in a Policy Paper later in July.
Posted on 07/09/2020 by Ortolan
