Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 6
6
Rejected
Local planning authorities are under-resourced, with restricted apprenticeships hindering future planner recruitment.
Recommendation
Local planning authorities across England are frequently under-resourced and stretched to deliver on local priorities. The Government’s funding for 300 new planning officers demonstrates that it recognises this problem, but this announcement equates to less than one planning officer on average for each local authority in England. At the same time, the Government is restricting access to apprenticeships to train the next generation of public sector planners, despite the Government’s ambition for more young people to pursue degree-level apprenticeships. The establishment of Strategic Authorities and the reintroduction of strategic planning in England is an opportunity to address these resourcing challenges. The Government must ensure that all levels of local government are collaborating effectively on shared planning matters. The private sector stands to benefit from a better resourced and more streamlined planning system, so developers should also make an additional contribution towards the staffing of Strategic Authorities. (Conclusion, Paragraph 47)
Government Response Summary
The government does not intend to implement third-party adjudication for unresolved issues regarding section 106 planning obligations, believing non-statutory guidance and policy will have a more immediate impact.
Government Response
Rejected
HM Government
Rejected
44. Mediation and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) already play a valuable role in the planning system for specific planning-related issues, including section 106 planning obligations, where negotiating and reaching consensus is required. 45. The existing provisions set out in the Housing and Planning Act 2016 enable parties to have third-party adjudication for unresolved issues regarding the terms of any section 106 planning obligations. We do not intend to implement these provisions at this time because we believe non- statutory guidance and policy – including our work with PAS on improving the section 106 process and proposed changes to the NPPF which are subject to consultation – are likely to have a more immediate impact than implementing primary legislation. We will keep this under review. 46. The draft revised NPPF also re-iterates the importance of good quality pre-application engagement between applicants and LPAs to identify and resolve key matters. These matters include planning obligations for the development, to enable the head of terms for the s106 to be agreed as quickly as possible once the application has been submitted. Viability Assessments