News

Joanna Averley provided an update on Government planning activities to local authorities. It covers the following:-

• • Local authorities are invited to submit an Expression of Interest to participate in the National Model Design Code Phase 2 pilot

• • Temporary Pavement Licence Provisions first introduced in 2020 are to be in place for a further 12 months until 30 September 2022

• • DEFRA is seeking opportunities to create new woodland

• • Natural England proposes the Biodiversity Metric 3 for biodiversity net gain outcomes should be put to formal consultation in 2022, as required under the Environment Bill, to improve its definitions

• MHCLG will be carrying out user research to support its planning reform programme and organisations can sign up here

A proposal for repairing Hammersmith Bridge has been published.

LB Barnet applied a reason for refusal of extra floors on a house, which the Government made permitted development (PDR), which is here.
See more on PDR in updates below dated 12th July, 23rd June and 8th April.

Christopher Pincher Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government) made the following statement on 20th July 2021.
“We have today published the response to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and National Model Design Code consultation. The updated NPPF has been published at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-planning-policy-framework and the response to the consultation is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/national-planning-policy-framework-and-national-model-design-code-consultation-proposals.”
There is a document showing NPPF changes from the 2019 to the 2021 version.
The UK Green Building Council has criticised the NPPF as here and here.… Read more...

Joanna Averley provided an update on Government planning activities to local authorities. It includes new fire safety rules for development.

The Mayor has published a strategic evidence report supporting boroughs wanting Article 4 Directions to control commercial to residential permitted development conversions (Use Class E to C3). Details are here and here.
The GLA report relates to the 2021 London Plan and new government policy on Article 4s and supports geographically targeted Article 4s for the whole of the Central Activities Zone and Northern Isle of Dogs; for strategically significant office locations beyond the CAZ; for town centres and high streets and for industrial areas, including creative production space.… Read more...

The Healthy Streets Scorecard shows the health of each borough’s streets. Councils and communities should work together to make improvements.

The June 2021 planning update by Historic England (HE) is published here.
London Forum members can request to subscribe for HE’s planning bulletins by emailing governmentadvice@HistoricEngland.org.uk

Civic Voice has published an interim report by the University of Reading on a scrutiny of the quality of local authorities’ Statements of Community Involvement. SCIs in LB Southwark and LB Brent are to be examined further.

A new Historic England Advice Note no. 16 on Listed Building Consent is published at https://lnkd.in/e7vPR4s
It gives general advice for owners of listed buildings about Listed Building Consent as an application process; how to judge whether proposals need consent or not; how to achieve certainty on the need for consent; how to make informed applications; works which may or may not need listed building consent depending on how the works are proposed to be carried out.