The digital transformation of planning services, alongside wider improvements to speed up procedures and deter breaches of planning control. In the Bill The Bill includes a number of measures which will allow a transformation in the use of high-quality data and modern, digital services across the planning process, including powers to set common data standards and software requirements. It also provides for several technical changes to the processes of planning, to make them work more efficiently and effectively, whilst reducing the administrative burdens felt by local authorities, statutory consultees and other users of the system. These include:
Ensuring that planning enforcement works effectively by: extending the period for taking enforcement action to ten years in all cases; introducing enforcement warning notices; increasing fines associated with certain planning breaches; doubling fees for retrospective applications; extending the time period for temporary stop notices from 28 to 56 days; and giving the Planning Inspectorate the power to dismiss certain appeals where the appellant causes undue delay. The scope for appeals against enforcement notices will be tightened so that there is only one opportunity to obtain planning permission retrospectively;
Enabling temporary relief to be given for enforcement action against prescribed planning conditions, where it is necessary to lift constraints on operations (e.g. for construction and delivery times);
Making permanent existing temporary powers to require pre-application engagement with communities before a planning application is submitted for specified forms of development;
The Bill will also create a new power to amend planning permissions in limited circumstances to provide greater post-permission flexibility following recent caselaw;
Speeding up the planning appeals process by giving Planning Inspectors the power to change the procedure for determining a planning appeal if an alternative would be more suitable;
Reforming existing powers to provide a faster and more effective route for urgent and nationally important Crown development; and
We will seek to bring forward powers to charge developers and promoters for statutory consultee advice in certain circumstances.
We intend to bring forward legislation to improve the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects regime. As set out in the British Energy Security Strategy, we intend to establish a fast track consenting route for priority cases where quality standards are met, enabled by amendments to the Planning Act 2008 so that the relevant Secretary of State can set shorter examination timescales in certain circumstances. We also intend to take powers to set timescales for the determination of non-material changes to Development Consent Orders (DCOs), to help to make sure major projects are delivered more quickly once they receive consent. Alongside the Bill We will continue to progress our wider digital delivery programme, including improvements to planning data and developing modern, data-driven planning software, so that handling and providing information on planning applications is faster and more efficient. We are also working with the PropTech sector to develop tools so communities can engage with planning services through digital means alongside traditional forms of engagement. We will also take forward our wider Project Speed work to improve performance of the Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project process, including regulatory and guidance changes to streamline the process and support digital transformation. Alongside reviews of National Policy Statements, these changes will enable fast track consenting in priority cases, drive overall improvements in regime performance, and support early meaningful engagement between industry, local authorities, statutory consultees and communities. To improve capacity in the local planning system, we intend to increase planning fees for major and minor applications by 35% and 25% respectively, subject to consultation. Increasing fees must lead to a better service for applicants. To further boost performance and service quality in local planning authorities alongside this, we will expand the existing planning performance framework to measure performance across a broader range of quantitative and qualitative measures. We will also support local authorities to build the skills they need, initially by working with sector experts to develop a planning skills strategy for local planning authorities.