Development pilot to bypass planning process
Councils can wave through developments without a planning application if the plans meet locally agreed criteria under a pilot scheme.
The initiative is intended to kick start regeneration projects in the face of the recession.
Five councils are testing the process, called local development orders, and the government wants another seven authorities to form the next round of pilots.
The scheme is managed by the Planning Advisory Service, part of the council good practice organisation IDeA, and the work is funded by the Communities and Local Government department. The deadline for expressions of interest is 8 February 2010, and funds will be available from April.
Ian Swithenbank, chairman of IDeA, said : ‘Research carried out for the Planning Advisory Service found that local development orders could provide a positive solution for councils in a variety of development situations.
‘In this time of economic pressure it will be councils who can take the initiative with developers to bring change, and this is another positive way forward.’
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