What's New in Planning: An Ever Changing Agenda

This is a masterclass delivering an update on: 

Planning reforms • New planning law • Key legal cases that affect day to day decision making.  

Insights from the coal face delivered by Martin Edwards and Peter Weatherhead on what is going on and what might change.

Topics covered:

The New Planning Context

• National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Policy Guidance
• Neighbourhood plans and Localism
• Housing & Planning Act 2016
• Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017
• The Richborough case and the definition of policies for housing land supply
• Affordable housing and the Government’s legal victory over exempting small developments
• Brownfield registers
• Permissions in principle
• Standard housing assessment methodology
• National Planning Policy Framework Amendments

Planning Reforms

• The ever changing Prior Approval regime for offices, workshops and agricultural buildings to be ‘residential’
• Permitted development rights and the three tier planning system
• Streamlining the system – how it has changed and how it might change

Heritage and Conservation

• National Planning Policy Framework and the new approach
• Significance of a heritage asset and its setting
• Recent cases that have changed planning practice – Barnwell Manor, Forge Field and Forest of Dean – and the meaning of ‘less than substantial harm’

Environmental Impact Assessment

• Government reforms to the EIA regime
• Issues on screening and scoping
• A review of the latest legal cases

Community Infrastructure Levy and S106 Agreements

• How does CIL work?
• Latest CIL issues and their resolution
• The expert panel review of CIL and its recommendations (yet to report)
• S106 agreements, affordable housing and pooling of financial contributions

Compulsory Purchase

• Neighbourhood Planning Act 2017 - streamlining the CPO system
• CPO system and how it works
• Rights and duties of acquiring authorities
• Objecting to a CPO – why, how and when
• Compensation claims
• Legal challenges
   

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the course you will be able to:

• Understand and be fully up-to-date with the Government’s many changes to the planning system
• Appreciate the implications for development proposals arising from recent planning judgements in conservation and heritage, housing land supply, affordable housing and compulsory purchase
• Understand the principles behind environment impact assessment, planning appeals, heritage issues, localism, community infrastructure levy and compulsory purchase
• Appreciate the likely pitfalls and how to overcome them
• Use the knowledge gained to maximise your chances of achieving planning permission or winning an appeal