c2c presentation gavin hall

Delivering economic growth through Place

Planning – Gavin Hall, Savills

15 December 2011

savills.co.uk

ThemeDelivering economic growth through Place

Identifying the opportunities and barriers that exist - Planning

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The Planning Myth Planning Delays Cost £3 Billion

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Planning Delays

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The Planning Myth - MythbustingThe Fightback Begins

Mythbusting

• September 2011 - launch of the ‘nationwide myth-busting campaign’

• November 2011 - CLG Select Committee – evidence on the NPPF

• Asked for a view on the £3bn cost of delay repeatedly used by Ministers

•The RTPI reveal their findings...

Mythbusting

What are the Myths

Why is Planning at the Bottom of all Regeneration Evil?

1.The Default Answer to a Planning Application is ‘No’

2.Planning is Slow

3.Planning is Costly

4.Planning is a Drag on Economic Growth

5.Planning Forces up House Prices

Mythbusting

What are the Myths

Why is Planning at the Bottom of all Regeneration Evil?

1.The Default Answer to a Planning Application is ‘No’

2.Planning is Slow

3.Planning is Costly

4.Planning is a Drag on Economic Growth

5.Planning Forces up House Prices

6....why did I become a planner!!!

Planning

• We all recognise the need for planning

Back to Mythbusting

• What are the myths and what lessons can we learn?

1. The Default Answer to a Planning Application is ‘No’ – certain control is not a bad thing

2.Planning is Slow – it is important to be done right

3.Planning is Costly – good planning takes time and costs money for good results

4.Planning is a Drag on Economic Growth – planning can ensure economic growth

5.Planning Forces up House Prices – planning permission or refusal???

Good Planning can help: Protect; raise economic growth; enhance communities; and will hopefully be there for a long time...

But does it need to be more flexible. How can this be harnessed?

Mythbusting

1. The Default Answer to a Planning Application is ‘No’

The powerful presumption in favour of sustainable development

Evidence and Defence:

The presumption in favour of development

Has it ever changed? Statistics.

Good planning is about “enabling the right development in the right place at the right time”

and

“preventing inadequate, poorly located and untimely schemes” or ... Planning Chaos

Lesson: Agree areas of relaxed control & pro-development officers managing control

Mythbusting

2. Planning is Slow

Naish Felts – submitted 2003, resolution 2004, permission ... 2012 ???

A slow and prescriptive planning regime


Statistics. But delays through other consenting regimes

Nature of UK property law slows down planning

Community influence is possible which is necessary and good

The UK development process is amongst the quickest in western Europe

Lesson: Planning certainty without over-prescription, and remember other regimes

Mythbusting

3. Planning is Costly

The current planning system costs the economy £3bn – costs, delays

Evidence:

“HM Treasury does not hold any recorded information on the scope of your [FoI] request”

2006 Interim Report of the Barker Review – Reading University research

“there have only been a few studies, and no recent ones, investigating the costs associated with delay for the economy as a whole”

A 19 year old study dealing with a planning system that no longer exists and dealing with major infrastructure which was not considered through planning at the time anyway!

Mythbusting

3. Planning is Costly

The current planning system costs the economy £3bn – costs, delays

Defence:

What costs are being referred to?

• Costs to Local Authority? – Inflation, drop in staff, no real increase in resources

• Costs to Applicant? – Compare to what a developer can earn from a scheme

• Costs of Section 106? – Reviews and Renegotiations. CIL

RTPI: “Anything that is worth doing costs money”

Lesson: Can the costs be shared and reduced accordingly

Mythbusting

4. Planning is a Drag on Economic Growth

The Prime Minister has been quoted as describing planners as “Enemies of Enterprise”


Planning Officers’ Society: Time to process applications fallen and still the same number of applications approved

RTPI: Planners are central to economic recovery

e.g. Aire Valley Enterprise Zone in Leeds – an area of economic underperformance, where infrastructure provision through the planning process re-establishes the

area as the city’s economic heart

Tipner Regeneration

Mythbusting


Tipner Regeneration

3300 dwellings

30,000m2 employment space

Land safeguarded for football stadium to 2026

New bridge link (two options, one preferred)

Improvements to Country Park / restricted access implemented to existing open space

Park and ride facility

Small scale local centre at Port Solent

Small scale local centre at Tipner East

Mythbusting


Planning helps to shape successful places where people live and work

balancing

Wider economic, social and environmental objectives

Lesson: Planning measures and designations can prime development

Mythbusting

5. Planning Forces up House Prices

Barker Review: Need delivery of 120,000 houses per year to achieve balanced house price growth

Deliver more land – increases housing – reduces prices


In fact Barker Review actually said that the effect was marginal when considering issues including availability of finance and demand

Current slump due to lack of finance, not lack of permissions

Lack of permissions is due to lack of applications, due to lack of finance

Lesson: Funding assistance – joint working – LEP - £500m Growing Places

Back to Mythbusting

1. No - Agree areas of relaxed control & pro-development officers managing control

2. Slow - Planning certainty without over-prescription, and remember other regimes

3. Costly - Can the costs be shared and reduced accordingly

4. Drag on Economic Growth - Planning measures and designations can prime development

5. Forces up House Prices - Funding assistance – joint working – LEP - £500m Growing Places

Good Planning can help: Protect; raise economic growth; enhance communities; and will hopefully be there for a long time...

savills.co.uk

Thank youGavin HallAssociate DirectorSavills Planning and Regeneration, Southampton

[email protected]

c2c presentation gavin hall

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