Overview

The Local Planning and Housing Bill aims to clarify and improve local planning procedures in England and Wales, focusing on housing supply and sustainable development. It seeks to streamline the planning process, increase housing supply, and promote the use of brownfield sites over greenfield and green belt land.

Description

This bill makes several key changes to planning regulations:

• Local and Neighbourhood Plans: It restricts the grounds for appealing against Local and Neighbourhood Plans and limits the timeframe for challenges. It also prevents consideration of planning applications conflicting with plans during the consultation period.
• Housing Supply: Local authorities must consider historic trends and projected economic growth when forecasting housing needs. New housing applications may only be considered if there is no existing housing stock in the area. Regulations for calculating the five-year housing land supply will be set.
• Local Development Orders: An amendment requires these orders to include detailed evidence justifying the need for the proposed housing type.
• Affordable Housing: The bill repeals section 7 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013, impacting affordable housing requirements.
• Land Banking: All work on an approved site must be completed before permission is granted for further development on the same site.
• Planning Permission Duration: The duration of planning permission is reduced from three years to nine months.
• Greenfield/Green Belt/Brownfield Development: Planning permission for greenfield or green belt sites is prohibited unless all suitable brownfield land is developed. Regulations will define "greenfield" and "brownfield".
• Sustainable Housing Development: The Secretary of State will define "sustainable housing development," including factors like local job access, leisure, education, health facilities, public transport and road infrastructure.
• Appeals: A review of the Planning Inspectorate's role in appeals will be conducted.

Government Spending

The bill does not directly specify government spending figures. The costs associated with the review of the Planning Inspectorate, the creation of new regulations, and potential legal challenges will likely impact government expenditure. However, no specific figures are available from the provided bill text.

Groups Affected

• Local Authorities: Significant changes to planning processes and housing supply calculations will affect their operations.
• Developers: Restrictions on greenfield development, shorter planning permission durations, and stricter requirements for sustainable development will impact their projects and profitability.
• Homebuyers: The bill aims to increase housing supply, potentially impacting house prices and availability.
• Environmental Groups: The focus on brownfield development may be beneficial, but restrictions on greenfield development could be seen positively or negatively.
• Planning Inspectors: The review of their role may lead to changes in their responsibilities and workload.
• Communities: Changes to local and neighbourhood planning processes will directly impact community involvement and the ability to shape local development.

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