The revised National Planning Policy Framework has been given a largely positive reception.<\/p>\n
New plans include giving planned homes a \u2018default yes\u2019 around rail stations.<\/p>\n
Properties built upwards in towns and cities will also generally be given the green light, while there will be a fast-tracking of development schemes.<\/p>\n
Lawrence Turner is director of Boyer, said: \u201cThe emphasis on building homes around railway stations is long overdue, and we support the proposed \u2018default yes\u2019 approach.<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, minimum density expectations must allow sufficient flexibility to respond to local context, including heritage and townscape considerations, flood risk, site capacity and the availability of deliverable infrastructure.<\/p>\n
\u201cSimilarly, higher-density suburban development must continue to meet established NPPF tests relating to residential amenity, parking and design code expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n
The government plans to establish a \u2018medium size development\u2019 category for sites between 10 to 49 homes, giving small developers a possible exemption from the Building Safety Levy, a charge introduced by the government to help fund the remediation of residential buildings.<\/p>\n
Ben Standing, partner in planning at UK and Ireland law firm Browne Jacobson, said: \u201cThese [medium size developments] are often regarded as the most difficult sites to bring forward for development due to land costs and local opposition.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile the government wants to introduce a permanent presumption in favour of suitable development, it must be mindful of how councils and developers engage communities early on so that valid concerns are mitigated ahead of construction work. This can ensure local people feel they are benefitting, not suffering, from national development targets.<\/p>\n
\t <\/p>\n
\u201cMore broadly, there is a danger that constant planning policy flip-flopping actually holds back development rather than accelerates it. In our experience, regular significant changes to the system creates uncertainty for developers on how to cost these in, while local authority planners require sufficient guidance so they can make good decisions.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlanning policy will only ever be one piece of the jigsaw in the government\u2019s quest to build more homes. It must address the viability problem by tackling the wider economic and skills challenges that make construction so expensive.\u201d<\/p>\n
It also said there will be a \u2018streamlining\u2019 of energy efficiency standards and Biodiversity Net Gain, which may be a euphemism for watering down green energy rules.<\/p>\n
Fergus Charlton, planning partner at national law firm Michelmores, is worried this could further erode environmental protections.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cThe government again has the green belt in its sights as being ripe for development.<\/p>\n
\u201cA year ago they introduced grey belt as a category of poor performing green belt on which housing can be built.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow proximity to a train station will further erode the policy protection given to green belt land, and this time the land\u2019s contribution to the green belt purposes will not be taken into account.<\/p>\n
\u201cPiecemeal unplanned developments will increase urban sprawl and will encroach into the countryside, and will not necessarily deliver affordable homes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The revised National Planning Policy Framework has been given a largely positive reception. New plans include giving planned homes a \u2018default yes\u2019 around rail stations. Properties built upwards in towns and cities will also generally be given the green light, while there will be a fast-tracking of development schemes. Lawrence Turner is director of Boyer, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6587,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-second-home"],"yoast_head":"\n