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An Independent Review of the Town and Country Planning system was launched on 25th March 2005. It has been led by Joanna Killian, Chief Executive of Essex County Council and David Pretty (former Chief Executive of Barratts Developments plc) and was jointly commissioned by the Departments for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (now BIS) and Communities and Local Government.
The review has looked at the planning application process, from the start of initial discussions with the local planning authority, to the discharge of pre-commencement conditions and the start of work on site. Its aim has been to identify improvements to the process, building on previous reforms.
The review's final report was launched on 24th November 2008. It sets out an ambitious, but deliverable package of 17 practical recommendations aimed at creating a more proportionate, customer focused and responsive planning application process.
The planning system is dominated by minor developments. The review recommends that nearly 40% of minor non-residential, mainly commercial, planning applications, such as for small scale alterations and extensions, should be taken out of the planning system altogether or subject to a much quicker process.
It also recommends improving the critically important pre-application phase, particularly for major developments, with a much greater focus on getting developers, councils and consultees, including local communities, to sort out key issues that could cause lengthy delays later in the process.
And, it proposes a new customer focus for council planning performance, based on the quality of service provided throughout the whole process, not just on its speed.
These and other recommendations will speed up the process and improve its effectiveness and transparency, and could deliver up to £300m of savings for councils, applicants and the wider economy each year.
The recommendations will free up and encourage councils and consultees to focus their resources on the larger developments that can make the biggest impact on communities. Taken together they will make a real difference to businesses large and small, manufacturers, householders, and stretched public services, all facing tougher economic times ahead.
The final report as well as a separate Executive Summary and Recommendations are available below.
Further details about the review, including its Call for Solutions issued in June, can be found at the review website: http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/killian_pretty_review
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