Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 3
3
Rejected
Paragraph: 21
Government lacks clear planning reform timetable and fails to evaluate past NPPF changes.
Recommendation
The Government has not been clear on the timetable for its many planning consultations and when its reforms will be implemented. Nor has the Government sufficiently evaluated the impact of its past NPPF changes to inform its current reform proposals. There is a strong case that the Department should conduct impact assessments of past NPPF changes, which would inform future reform proposals. Given that the Department is currently considering 26,000 responses to the December 2022 consultation, and is conducting at least nine further consultations on planning reform, we do not believe resource constraints should prevent the Department from conducting these impact assessments.
Government Response Summary
The government implicitly rejects the call for comprehensive impact assessments of past NPPF changes, citing resource constraints for its targeted and proportionate approach to evaluation, while stating it will continue to consider the potential impact of proposed changes.
Paragraph Reference:
21
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
Government response The Government’s proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) were subject to a full public consultation that ran from December 2022 to March 2023. We are continuing to consider the responses to that consultation and intend to respond later in 2023. Historically, we have taken a targeted approach to evaluating planning reforms; and in line with the Department’s recently published Evaluation Strategy, we are continuing to take a proportionate approach, due to resource constraints and the feasibility and cost of evaluation activity. In making policy decisions the Government will continue to consider the potential impact of the changes, including equalities impacts, as well as the representations made in the consultation including on the potential effects of the proposals.