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Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a Planning Vacuum

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Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a Planning Vacuum House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a planning vacuum Second Report of Session 2010–11 Volume I: Report, together with formal minutes, oral and written evidence Additional written evidence is contained in Volume II, available on the Committee website at www.parliament.uk/clg Ordered by the House of Commons to be printed 28 February 2011 HC 517 Published on 17 March 2011 by authority of the House of Commons London: The Stationery Office Limited £23.00 The Communities and Local Government Committee The Communities and Local Government Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration, and policy of the Department for Communities and Local Government. Current membership Cliver Betts MP (Labour, Sheffield South-East) (Chair) Heidi Alexander MP (Labour, Lewisham East) Bob Blackman MP (Conservative, Harrow East) Simon Danczuk MP Rochdale (Labour, Rochdale) Steve Rotheram MP (Labour, Liverpool Walton) Mike Freer MP (Conservative, Finchley and Golders Green) Stephen Gilbert MP (Liberal Democrat, St Austell and Newquay) David Heyes MP (Labour, Ashton under Lyne) George Hollingbery MP (Conservative, Meon Valley) James Morris MP (Conservative, Halesowen and Rowley Regis) Mark Pawsey MP (Conservative, Rugby) The following members were also members of the committee during the parliament: Clive Efford MP (Labour, Eltham) George Freeman MP (Conservative, Mid-Norfolk) Toby Perkins MP (Labour, Chesterfield) Chris Williamson MP (Labour, Derby North) Powers The committee is one of the departmental select committees, the powers of which are set out in House of Commons Standing Orders, principally in SO No 152. These are available on the internet via www.parliament.uk. Publication The Reports and evidence of the Committee are published by The Stationery Office by Order of the House. All publications of the Committee (including press notices) are on the internet at www.parliament.uk/parliament.uk/clg. A list of Reports of the Committee in the present Parliament is at the back of this volume. The Reports of the Committee, the formal minutes relating to that report, oral evidence taken and some or all written evidence are available in a printed volume. Additional written evidence may be published on the internet only. Committee staff The current staff of the Committee are Huw Yardley (Clerk), Judith Boyce (Second Clerk), Josephine Willows (Inquiry Manager), Kevin Maddison (Committee Specialist), Emily Gregory (Senior Committee Assistant), Mandy Sullivan (Committee Assistant), Stewart McIlvenna, (Committee Support Assistant) and Hannah Pearce (Media Officer). Contacts All correspondence should be addressed to the Clerk of the Communities and Local Government Committee, House of Commons, 7 Millbank, London SW1P 3JA. The telephone number for general enquiries is 020 7219 1234; the Committee’s email address is [email protected] Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a planning vacuum? 1 Contents Report Page Summary 3 1 Introduction 5 2 What are Regional Spatial Strategies? 6 Definition of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) 6 Views of regional spatial strategies 7 Criticisms of RSSs 7 Benefits of RSSs 8 Conclusion 9 3 Implications of the abolition of regional spatial strategies 10 Revocation of RSSs 10 A planning vacuum 11 4 The new planning system 15 Strategic planning 15 ‘Larger than local’ planning 17 Strategic planning: conclusion 20 Controversial strategic issues 20 Minerals and waste 21 Gypsy and Traveller sites 22 Renewable energy and planning for climate change 25 Local authorities’ ‘duty to co-operate’ 26 Duty to cooperate: conclusion 30 Local Enterprise Partnerships 30 5 Housing 34 Housing targets 34 Tetlow King research 36 National need and local decision-making 37 Conclusion 40 New Homes Bonus 41 Objections to the New Homes Bonus 43 New Homes Bonus: conclusion 47 6 Evidence and monitoring 50 A lack of consistent, current planning evidence 50 Who should have responsibility for data collection? 51 7 Conclusion 54 Conclusions and recommendations 55 2 Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a planning vacuum? Formal Minutes 58 Witnesses 59 List of printed written evidence 60 List of additional written evidence 60 List of Reports from the Committee during the current Parliament 64 Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a planning vacuum? 3 Summary A coherent, efficient planning system has to recognise and relate to issues from the point of view of a range of players operating at different levels: individuals, developers, community and resident groups, businesses, local authorities, and the Government. Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) bridged the gap between planning issues determined by local policies and concerns, and those subject to nationally-determined policy aspirations, such as housing or renewable energy. Views are mixed on the merits of Regional Spatial Strategies: opposition to them has highlighted the length and complexity of their preparation; the undemocratic nature of the bodies preparing them; the difficulty of influencing their outcomes; and the ‘top-down’ housing development targets they contained. Support for them has highlighted their comprehensive, strategic view of planning across each region and their ability to deal with controversial and sometimes emotive developments, such as waste disposal, mineral working and accommodation for Gypsies and Travellers. The Government is seeking both to revoke current RSSs and abolish the RSS structure through the Localism Bill. The Bill is not expected to gain Royal Assent until towards the end of 2011. Even then, uncertainties will remain about the new planning system until the new plans proposed by the Government have themselves been brought into effect. Significant uncertainties exist over: local authorities’ ‘duty to co-operate’; the role of the new Local Enterprise Partnerships; the handling of ‘larger-than-local’ issues in the absence of a regional strategy; contentious planning issues; and the new housebuilding incentive scheme, the New Homes Bonus. It is not clear how the new systems and schemes will be co-ordinated and how they will work in practice. There is no consistent method of collecting data and evidence. There is already delay in bringing forward proposals, and consequent delay in the preparation of local authorities’ plans as everyone waits to see what happens. There is in fact a hiatus in planning, which can only have a detrimental effect on the economic recovery. The drafting of the Localism Bill needs to be improved, so that it provides a framework for local authorities to work within, outlining what actions local authorities should take in their duty to co-operate, how they measure success or failure, how parties insist on the delivery of what has been agreed, and default options if there is inadequate co-operation. The Government must ensure that the beneficial and positive aspects of RSSs, in particular for integrating infrastructure, economic development, housing and environmental protection, are not swept away, but are retained in any new planning framework. There should be a more evidence-based and consultative approach to planning policy making; pragmatism and consensus are essential to ensure active consent to decisions that affect people’s everyday lives. We welcome the Government’s recognition of the need for more houses. We especially welcome its intention of ensuring that more homes are built in total than were built immediately before the recession, and of building 150,000 affordable homes over the next four years (although this is not an exceptional number by historic standards). Alongside neighbourhood planning and the ‘community right to build’, the new housing regime proposed by the Government rests on the success of the New Homes Bonus designed to reward councils financially for new homes built, and providing extra money for the 4 Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a planning vacuum? building of affordable homes. The Government predicts an increase of housing supply of between 8 and 13%. We question the likelihood of achieving this increase, given the lack of evidence of the likely efficacy of the New Homes Bonus. We also question the very principle of offering incentives for house building based solely on numbers: while most people recognise the need for more housing, what matters more is where and how well the housing is built and integrated into the community. We recommend that the New Homes Bonus be linked explicitly to the delivery of homes provided for in the local plan following robust assessments of housing need. The Government needs to ensure that robust and consistent evidence to support local development plans is produced and regularly updated in an effective and efficient manner. It is not acceptable for Ministers to abdicate their responsibilities in this regard by leaving all the responsibility with under-resourced and under-skilled local planning authorities. Such planning uncertainty that currently exists could have social, economic and environmental consequences lasting for many years. The Government must act quickly to ensure that those involved in the planning system have clearer objectives and an effective framework in which to operate. It needs to bring forward a persuasive solution to the problem of those planning issues that cannot be decided at a purely local level. Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies: a planning vacuum? 5 1 Introduction 1. We launched an inquiry in the summer of 2010, soon
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