NPPF Plan Making Workshop

Leeds

September 2018 www.local.gov.uk/pas

Introductions

• We are ...

• Safety…

• Ground rules– Phones off

– Speak freely

– Break into smaller groups to look at specific issues

– Use your feedback form if you can't get airtime

– Slides will be available

• Finish at 16:30

Purpose of today• To clarify / advise / share thoughts

– on Plan Making and the revised NPPF

– focused on post transitional submissions

• Here to help understand new requirements

and give practical advice to help plans be

produced

– We are not here to attack / defend policy

– Answer the specific questions raised in pre course

responses

• Nor is this event a substitute for reading

What is PAS?

• Funded by MHCLG to support English

planning authorities– We’re help LPAs use the new legislation

• That is why today is “free”

– It’s not really free. Perhaps £150/each ?

– Your feedback helps us to

• Get better at this

• Prove to Govt that this is money well spent

• Part of the LGA

– We think local government is great

Today’s agenda1. Plan Making Overview from MHCLG + Q&A

2. Local Plan Management & Governance:

Milton Keynes

3. Group Surgeries/Discussions: IPe

4. ------ Lunch -------

5. Group Surgeries cont

6. Barriers to plan production & Local plan

Support: PAS & MCHLG

Plan Making Group Surgeries• Smaller groups: 2 groups x 20 people in each

• Practical advice on Plan making using the RevNPPF

– Answering pre course questions and issues raised

• Grouped by area – hopefully with HMA buddies!

• See name badge for allocate group: 1 or 2

❑Group 1: North East, Y&H, East Mids

• Keith Holland – in this room: Mind

❑Group 2: North West & West Mids

• Derek Stebbing – Room: Listen (8th floor)

Today• MHCLG / PAS two-hander

– Plan making post transitional arrangements

– We are doing separate HDT & viability sessions

• You get out what you put in

– Engage, share your position, good Q&A !

– Take the opportunity

Plan-Making:

Practical Implications of Reforms

Overview

• Local Housing Need in plan-making

• The plan-making framework

• Maintaining effective cooperation: statement of

common ground

• Neighbourhood plans – protection and assigning a

number

• Plan reviews

• Tests of soundness

9

Plan coverage

10

Local Housing Need (LHN):A new standard method

12

Context: We don’t plan for housing

where need is greatest, or where

affordability is worst

LHN Method

• Paragraph 60 of the revised NPPF

• Identifies the minimum number of homes expected to be planned for

• Does not provide a housing requirement figure

• Based on publically available data – household projections provide

the baseline and are adjusted to reflect affordability

• Provides a number for local authority areas but does not account for

the constraints of that authority

• Growth beyond past trends is not factored in

• Alternatives may be used only in exceptional circumstances

13

Using LHN in Plan-making

• Should be calculated at the beginning of the process and kept under review until plan

is submitted (can be relied upon for 2 years from submission)

• LHN gives annual figure which can be applied across the relevant plan period

(minimum 15 years)

• Growth beyond past trends is not factored in

• Once a need number has been established, consideration will need to be given to the

extent that need can be accommodated (taking into account land availability)

• Where a range is proposed it will still be examined against housing need. For HDT

and 5YLS the bottom end of the range will be measured.

14

Plan-making Framework:catching up with reality on the ground

Plan making framework – paras 17-19

more flexible and proportionate

Not one size fits all

Strategic policies –address strategic

priorities

Non-strategic policies

17

So in practice what could this mean?

• Provides greater flexibility in how policies are planned for –

authorities can tailor this to suit their needs for example:

• 2 or more LPAs can produce a joint plan containing strategic

policies (such as meeting housing need) followed by

individual plans to deliver non-strategic policies (e.g. West of

England);

• Individual Local Plan (e.g. Burnley) / Joint Plan (Chiltern and

South Bucks) containing all policies);

• With introduction of SDSs (outside of London) there may be

the option for LPAs to rely on mayors (with plan-making

powers) or combined authorities to produce strategic policies.

The Plan-making Framework

Maintaining Effective Cooperation:a more transparent approach to strategic

cross boundary agreements

Maintaining Effective Co-operation:

Statement of common ground

SCG link with soundness tests

Used to document

agreements and disagreements

Demonstrating duty to cooperate

(LPAs)

No specific transitional

arrangements

Select most appropriate geography

Publishing it and keeping it updated

SCG – Who is involved?

20

Additional signatories, (those not responsible for preparing, publishing the SCG) may

include:

• Neighbouring LPAs (and County Councils) outside of the defined SCG area;

• County Councils (in two-tier areas);

• Districts within a County Council area (when the County are preparing county

matters plans);

• Mayors with plan-making powers (outside of the SCG area);

• Mayors without plan-making powers (inside of the SCG area);

• Infrastructure providers;

• Duty to Cooperate Bodies (prescribed in R4 of the 2012 Local Plan Regulations)

such as Historic England, Homes England, Natural England etc.;

• Local Enterprise Partnerships; and

• Local Nature Partnerships.

Please note: this is not an exhaustive list, strategic policy-making authorities can

include any bodies they cooperate with on strategic matters as part of the plan-making

process.

Neighbourhood Planning Groups do not need to be signatories.

Neighbourhood Plans:Bringing planning to the people

Success of neighbourhood planning

22

Over 2,450 groups

Over 640 plans

in force

Neighbourhood Planning

Allocation of sites

Infrastructure and community

facilities

Establish design principles

Designate local green spaces

Detailed green belt boundary amendments

Allocate small and medium sites

<1ha

Neighbourhood Plan Protection

Allocating NPs a housing

requirement figure

Clarification on how much housing to plan for

Para 65 - Housing requirement

figure for designated

neighbourhood areas should be set

out in strategic policies.

Protection of neighbourhood plans which plan

for housing requirement

Para 14 – carries forward and

updates the previous ‘protection’

from the presumption in favour of

sustainable development for

neighbourhood plans which plan for

housing where specified criteria

are met.

25

Plan Reviews: maintaining relevance

Plan reviews: why is it important?

Presumption applies where no relevant policies or out of

date policies

5YLS can be calculated against plan figure if up to date (or LHN if >5 years

Statutory requirement and policy expectation

Plan Reviews – what is it

Review - an assessment of

whether policies are up to date

In practice likely to need updating at least once every 5

years

Relevant strategic policies – update

earlier if significant

change in LHN

Other SCI changes – advice to NP

groups/engage on early work

Applies to plan policies and SCIs, and SDS (policy)

Statement on website or updated

LDS

Review of policies

Information needed to carry out a review can include:

• conformity of policies with national planning policy;

• changes to local circumstances such as a change in Local Housing Need;

• Housing Delivery Test performance;

• Five year land supply for housing;

• Appeals performance (e.g. amount of appeals overturned);

• success of policies against indicators in the Development Plan as set out

in Authority Monitoring Reports;

• plan-making activity by other authorities, such as whether they have

identified that they are unable to meet all their housing need; and

• significant economic changes that may impact on viability.

Sources of information may include:

AMRs, SHLAA/HELAA, HDT Returns, LHN re-calculations, Infrastructure

Funding Statement, and Statement of Common Ground.

29

Test of Soundness

Soundness tests changes

Soundness test Changed? Summary of changes

Positively Prepared Yes ‘As a minimum, seeks to meet

the area’s objectively assessed

needs’;

[footnote 19] ‘clear and justified

method’;

Implicit link with SCG through this

being ‘informed by agreements

with other authorities where it is

practical to do so and is

consistent with achieving

sustainable development’.

Justified Yes ‘An appropriate strategy’

Effective Yes ‘which have been dealt with

rather than deferred’; ‘as

evidenced by the SCG’.

Consistent national

policy

No n/a31

MHCLG

• Questions

John Cheston

Development Plans Manager

Milton Keynes Council

Leeds - 25th September 2018 - NPPF Workshop: Plan Making - support

and delivery

Purpose:

1. Programme management & governance of Plan:MK

2. Perspectives on revised NPPF

3. How MKC will respond to the NPPF in terms of plan

review/update

Milton Keynes

➢ 54 miles from London (35 minutes

by train), 70 miles from

Birmingham (50 minutes by train)

➢ Halfway ‘house’ between: London

and Birmingham and Oxford and

Cambridge

➢ Designated as a new town on 23

January 1967

➢ Population: 265,000 (ONS, 2016).

➢ 90% of its population live in the

urban area

Evolution of Milton Keynes

Local Plans in Milton Keynes

Plan:MK - Overview

Plan:MK contains the preferred

strategy for meeting the Borough’s

development needs until 2031.

Once adopted, Plan:MK will replace the

Core Strategy (2013) and the MK Local

Plan (2005).

Central Milton Keynes

3,550 additional homes

A new undergraduate

university

East of the M1 motorway identified as a strategic site for 3,000

homes and employment subject to

successful HIF bid

Total from proposed new site allocations: 10,000 homesOverall housing target 2016-2031:26,500 additional homesActually delivering:30,900 additional homes (16.7% buffer)

Brownfield sites and windfall allowance - 2,000 homes

South Caldecotte -new 57-hectare

strategic employment

allocation

South EastGrowth Area -3,000 homes once route ofExpressway is

confirmed

Plan:MK sites

Plan:MK – Key Milestones

Stages Timeframe

Evidence gathering September 2013

Topic papers consultation September - December 2014

Plan:MK Vision Workshops Spring 2015

Strategic Development Directions

consultation

January – April 2016

Preferred Options version

consultation (Regulation 18)

March – June 2017

Proposed submission version

consultation (Regulation 19)

November – December 2017

Submission of Plan:MK to the

Inspectorate

March 2018

Examination hearings July – August 2018

Future

Adopted Plan:MK March 2019?

Plan:MK - Roadmap

Plan:MK – project management

Plan:MK – project management

Plan:MK – project management

Plan:MK – project management

Plan:MK – project management

Plan:MK – project management

Plan:MK indicative timescale

Revised NPPF (2018)

NPPF 2018: Plan-making through strategic policies

(para. 59-66)

➢ Strategic policies should establish a housing requirement figure for their whole area

➢ Where it is not possible to provide a neighbourhood area housing figure, the LPA is expected to provide an indicative figure, if requested to do so (para 66)

➢ Neighbourhood Planning - “strategic policies should also set out a housing requirement for designated neighbourhood areas…” (para 65)

‘Recently Adopted’

Plans will be regarded as ‘recently adopted’ depending upon when in the year they

are adopted:

➢ Those adopted between 1 May and 31 October 2019 (assumed) will be regarded

as recently adopted until 31 October 2020 (i.e. up to 18 months)

➢ Those adopted between 1 November 2019 and 30 April 2020 (assumed) will be

regarded as recently adopted until 31st October 2020 (i.e. up to 6 months)

What’s next?

Future work

➢MK Futures 2050

➢Oxford - to -

Cambridge Expressway

➢Emerging Housing

Growth Deal with

MHCLG

➢Plan:MK 2 – to be

submitted by 2022

➢Neighbourhood Plans

MK Future 2050 Commission – The Six Big Projects

➢ Project 1 – Hub of Cambridge – Milton Keynes – Oxford

corridor (incorporating work on the Strategy for 2050)

➢ Project 2 – A new university for Milton Keynes

➢ Project 3 – Learning 2050

➢ Project 4 – Smart, Shared, Sustainable Mobility

➢ Project 5 – Renaissance: CMK

➢ Project 6 – Milton Keynes: The Creative and Cultured

City

Identify growth areas

Indicative Quantum (min):

• Plan:MK growth elements:- CMK/Campbell Park 2,000

- Regen/B’field/Infill 2,500

- South East SDA 3,000

Total 7,500

• Expansion Areas:

- 1 PTOD @ >10,000 homes

- 8 PTODs @ >5,000 homes

Total 50,000

Total: >57,500 homes/138,000 population

National Infrastructure Projects

Oxford-to-Cambridge Expressway Timetable

Date Event

Autumn 2017

Commitment by the Chancellor for

construction to commence on the missing

link before the end of the Road Investment

Strategy (RIS2) in 2025

2018 Corridor announcement (12 September)

Autumn 2019 Public consultation on route options

2020 Preferred route announcement*

2025 Construction starts

2030 New link opens to the public

Oxford-to-Cambridge Expressway

East – West Rail Link

Thank you for listening

John Cheston

Development Plans Manager

T: 01908 252480

M: 07775 111178

E: john.cheston@milton-keynes.gov.uk

W: https://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/planning-and-building/

Milton Keynes Council | Planning Service | Growth, Economy and Culture | Place | Civic Offices | 1 Saxon Gate East | Milton Keynes | MK9 3EJ

Plan Making Group Surgeries• Smaller groups: 2 groups x 20 people in each

• Practical advice in using the RevNPPF

– Answering pre course questions and issues raised

• Grouped by area – hopefully with HMA buddies!

• See name badge for allocate group: 1 or 2

• Group 1: North East, Y&H, East Mids

– Derek Stebbing – in this room!

• Group 2: North West & West Mids

– Keith Holland – “Listen” Room: upstairs (8th floor)

Coffee - back at 11:45 ?

• Group 1 – in here: “Mind” room

• Group 2 – in “Listen” room – upstairs: 8th floor

• Unfinished business ?

• Put in the comments part of your feedback

form

Lunch - back at 14:00 ?

• Unfinished business ?

• Put in the comments part of your feedback

form

Coffee - back at 15:30 ?

• Unfinished business ?

• Put in the comments part of your feedback

form

• Keep your brain switched on !

Barriers to plan delivery &

Local Plan Support

• Making use of MHCLG to remove barriers to

plan making❑ Opportunity to highlight potential barriers with MHCLG that

they might be able to help moving

• PAS Local Plan Support❑Working with LPAs in HMA groups to give advice to

support plans being produced in a similar “surgery” type

approach

Closing thoughts

• Subscribe to our bulletin.

- It’s not another newsletter – our events and

materials

• Talk to us. We are friendly. pas@local.gov.uk

– Tell us what we can do to help

– Invite us to your local POG

– Show off if you are doing great things

• Remember the Khub practitioner network

– We hang out there too

Closing thoughts

• Become a peer

– Give something back. See the world. Do good

work. Have fun (!)

– Only if you complete your form properly (including

the front bit)

• Use the peer network

– New in post ? Tricky at the top ?

– Peer challenge!

– Simple. Powerful.

Purpose of today – did we succeed?• To clarify / advise / share thoughts

– on Plan Making and the revised NPPF

– focused on post transitional submissions

• Here to help understand new requirements

and give practical advice to help plans be

produced

– We are not here to attack / defend policy

– Answer the specific questions raised in pre course

responses

• Nor is this event a substitute for reading

We are at local.gov.uk/pas

!! Feedback forms !!

Email pas@local.gov.uk

Web www.local.gov.uk/pas

Phone 020 7664 3000

Twitter @Pas_Team