Select committee: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee

Recommendation 7

First Report - The future of the planning system in England Published 10 Jun 2021 Paragraph 47 Addressed to Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Increasing the speed at which Local Plans are developed and updating them will be resource hungry. The Government needs to clarify how such needs can be met and what resources will be applied to local authorities to enable them to achieve these ambitious timescales.

From: Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee, First Report - The future of the planning system in England (HC 38), paragraph 47, 10 June 2021

Government response

The government responded to the whole report on 17 May 2022 (deadline 10 August 2021).

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government's response agrees with the Committee on a number of recommendations, including not pursuing the three areas proposal, while declining to extend the 30-month local plan timetable and having no plans for a national Green Belt review.

  • It agrees with the recommendation on the three areas proposal and "will not be pursuing three area types in the reformed planning system".
  • It "does not accept" the recommendation to extend the 30-month plan-making timeframe, stating that reforms make 30 months "achievable" and that it "will consult on the detail of these regulations in due course".
  • On planning fees, it intends to increase them by 35% for major and 25% for minor applications, "subject to consultation", which it says will take place in the summer.
  • On the Green Belt, it "has no plans for a national review" and says the National Planning Policy Framework's protections "will remain".

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error