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Planning appeal decisions could be cut by five months, claims new report
The average time it takes for a planning appeal to be decided could be cut nearly in half, according to a new report looking into the country’s planning system.
An independent report by Bridget Rosewell, former deputy director of economic affairs at the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), found that the average time it takes to process and decide on a planning appeal could be slashed from 47 weeks to 26 weeks by reforming the way in which decisions are made.
Ms Rosewell, who has been carrying out the report for the government over a period of six months, said that a lack of suitably qualified inspectors, outdated IT systems and drawn out processing timelines were all holding up decisions being made in a timely manner.
Housing secretary James Brokenshire welcomed the report and said that speeding up timelines could help the government deliver its target of building 300,000 homes each year by the mid-2020s.
The report found that in 2017/18 a total of 42,000 residential units were put through the appeal schemes, with a total of 18,600 units allowed or approved – each taking on average 47 weeks to process.
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Planning regulations and space standards are there for a good reason – micro-homes aren’t the answerIt comes just days after a National Audit Office (NAO) investigation slammed the country’s current planning system, saying it was “underperforming” and put the government’s target of 300,000 a year by the mid-2020s under threat.
The Planning Inspectorate came under particular criticism, with the NAO highlighting the extent to which the appeal decisions had slowed in the past five years.
As part of the report, Ms Rosewell set out 22 recommendations to the government on how to speed up the inquiry system, including setting stricter time limits on parts of the process.
The report recommended that the Planning Inspectorate issue a start letter within five working days of receipt of an appeal, six weeks faster than the current timescale.
It also called for the planning inspectorate to take full control of identifying a date for the inquiry, and enforcing within 16 weeks of receiving the initial start letter.
In adopting these changes, Ms Rosewell said, the Planning Inspectorate should set itself the target of completing 90% of cases within 24 weeks and the remaining 10% of cases in 26 weeks. Inquiry appeals decided by the secretary of state should all be completed within 30 weeks.
Ms Rosewell also called for improvements to operational delivery through a greater use of technology, which would create improved efficiency and transparency in the decision-making process.
This would include the creation of a new online planning appeal portal that should be implemented later this year, where appellants have easily accessible guidance, and which allows planning authority to be immediately notified of appeals.
The report also highlighted the significant skills shortage in the Planning Inspectorate, and said this was having a major impact on the scheduling and management of casework by the body.
Ms Rosewell called on the Planning Inspectorate to submit an action plan to the secretary of state by April 2019 to include mechanisms by which sufficient inspectors can be made available.
Housing secretary James Brokenshire welcomed Ms Rosewell’s report. He said it provided the government with a “clear direction of travel on how we can ensure the appeals inquiry process is fit for purpose”.
The government will now consider the findings of the report before publishing a response in the coming months.
Ms Rosewell said: “It’s critical that all parts of the planning system contribute towards the efficient delivery of the homes we need as well as the refusal of those which don’t meet our high standards.
“My review found, with commitment for all involved, that speeding up inquiries can be achieved through straightforward reforms, shaving months off the current time it takes for inspectors to make a decision.”
