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Welcome to the third edition of the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan (JLP) newsletter.
In our August newsletter, we hoped that during autumn 2021, we would be working on interpreting and implementing any changes the Government had introduced to the planning system, but we are still waiting for the reforms.
The Government have published the Levelling Up White Paper, which we will talk about briefly, but we are not expecting any formal news about planning reform until May.
This edition will cover our consultation on the Climate Emergency Planning Policy and Guidance (CEPPG) document, the Authorities Monitoring Report, exciting funding news on digital engagement and some information about the Environment Act and Biodiversity Net Gain.
We hope you enjoy this edition and please contact the JLP Team if you have any questions.
The climate emergency planning policy and guidance consultation started on Thursday 3 March - you have until Thursday 21 April to make comments.
We have added a video to our webpage that provides a short overview of what climate change is, why it matters and what we are trying to do about it with our new planning policy and guidance. As well as a video, there are factsheets for you to download.
Read here to watch the CEPPG video and read the factsheets.
This document is for anyone submitting a planning application, whether it is for an extension to their home, new employment development or new homes.
The document is ambitious. It sets out ways to ensure that all new development is fit for the future, by including solar panels, heat pumps and electric vehicle charging facilities as standard. It sets out measures that will mean development is better able to cope with the challenges of climate change to avoid overheating and flooding and bring health and wellbeing benefits.
We need your help to test these proposals. We want your views on whether they are ambitious enough and if you think they will work. If you think there are better ways we can address the climate emergency in new development, we want to hear from you.
Get involved in the climate conversation and let us have your views by Thursday 21 April 2022.
Make a comment on the CEPPG here.
The Authorities Monitoring Report (AMR) sets out key information on the delivery of the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan. It is produced annually and sets out progress against the indicators which are set out in Annex 2 of the Joint Local Plan. The latest AMR covers the period 1 April 2020 to 31 March 2021.
The AMR is a statutory document that the JLP Councils are required to produce annually. In addition to reporting on the JLP indicators, it therefore also reports on additional information which is relevant to the development plans that have been and are being produced by the JLP Councils.
Click here to look at the Authorities Monitoring Report. This year we have made it more slimline and added a new mapping feature that allows you to see the stage of development for each of our allocated sites. You can look at the mapping information here.
Land Use Allocations Monitoring Map (arcgis.com)
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Ahead of the planning reforms, the Government has been inviting councils to bid for various pots of funding.
We are happy to announce that we have successfully won funding from Round 2 of the PropTech Engagement Fund
Our colleague Ed is the project co-ordinator for this work and we asked him a few questions.
What is this project all about?
The project is part of the Government’s ambition to improve the quality and efficiency of engagement within planning services. The PropTech fund specifically targets the use of digital tools to encourage wider participation in processes influencing planning policy.
Our project seeks to explore what services and facilities exist in our Joint Local Plan Area and the spatial considerations in how we choose to use them. We have some information, but it is not mapped consistently or up to date so we are hoping to use this project to work with the local community to evolve the way we use data and online mapping tools.
How will this help us to plan better?
By having an up-to-date picture of how residents use services facilities and services it will be easier to prioritise discussions with service providers and share data and analysis with the public and neighbourhood planning groups.
We know this will not be perfect at first, but it is our ambition that we can integrate lessons learnt into how we engage and share data in the future.
Can our local communities get involved?
Yes, this is the whole point of the project. We currently envisage consultation this summer so watch this space for further updates.
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The Environment Bill became law on 9 November 2021.
The Act is important, as it puts the environment at the centre of development and sets out requirements which have impacts on planning.
A key part of the Act is the requirement for Biodiversity Net Gain which places an obligation for developers to ensure all new development proposals provide for at least 10% improvement for biodiversity.
We have our plan policy DEV26, which already sets out requirements for this but colleagues within the three Councils along with Devon County Council are preparing guidance to help clarify what is required. We will update you on how this work is progressing.
The Environment Act also introduces Local Nature Recovery Strategies which will be mapped across the whole country in the future, Conservation Covenants and sets up a new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), which will be monitoring and reporting on the environmental legislation, improvement plans and targets.
Clearly this act has important implications for planning; we will be following its evolution and keeping up to date with related Government consultation.
We are expecting secondary legislation which will provide further details of how the various parts of the Act will be implemented and DEFRA and Natural England are working closely to set out how this will work in practice.
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The Levelling Up White Paper
On 2 February, the Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove unveiled the government’s flagship Levelling Up White Paper. This document set out a plan to transform the UK by spreading opportunity and prosperity to all parts of it.
Read the Levelling Up White Paper
This document set out some key planning changes and what we can expect to see in the Planning Reforms once published:
- The simplification of local plans ensuring they are transparent and easier to engage with
- The consideration of new models for a new infrastructure levy
- A number of policies and powers to enable planning to better support town centre regeneration
- Improving democracy and engagement in planning decisions
- Supporting environmental protection through planning
Planning Reforms expected in spring/summer 2022
We are expecting news about planning reform possibly in May. Joanna Averly, the Chief Planner for the Government has said
“This will provide further detail on how we will take forward measures to create a modernised and effective planning system that empowers communities to support, and local authorities to deliver, the beautiful, environmentally-friendly development this country needs.”
We will hopefully update you on this in our next newsletter.
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