Issue - meetings

To receive a presentation from Sarah Cary (Executive Director Place) on the new planning white paper and extension of permitted development regulations. 

The panel received a presentation from Sarah Cary (Executive Director Place) on the future landscape of planning.  Copies of the presentation slides are attached to the agenda and are available on request from the Committee Secretary. 

1.            Presentation on changes to the planning landscape

Sarah Cary highlighted the following from her presentation: 

·         The changes set out were being proposed by the Government which she was reporting, not promoting.  She would encourage as many people as possible to respond to the Government consultations which could be found on the Council website.  The Council would also be making its own response. 

·         There were three types of changes, recently introduced, proposals for the current system and radical reform. 

·         The proposed changes to the current system were subject to legal challenge.  They had been bought in as a result of the pandemic to stimulate the regeneration of town centres and encourage house building through amending general permitted development rights. 

·         The new general permitted development rights would give new rights to demolish free standing buildings to rebuild as homes and a right to extend upwards to create additional stories on existing buildings. 

·         These would be major changes and would change the look and feel of Enfield.  The permitted development rights would apply in most places, but not conservation areas.

·         The changes in use classes could be positive in that they would provide greater flexibility for business, help town centres evolve to meet new needs but they could also result in a loss of office and retail space, impact on the availability of strategic industrial land and place greater burdens on licensing authorities. 

·         The day before the meeting, new requirements had been bought in setting new space standards for residential buildings.

·         It was proposed that they would make changes to the standard method for calculating the number of houses needed in an area.  This would mean that the current cap would be lifted and more first homes but less affordable homes would be built.  It could increase the number of extra homes for Enfield from 1,400 in the current draft local plan to 2,000 a year.  This was a substantial increase. 

·         First homes were not necessarily affordable.  They would mainly benefit wealthier households.

·         The proposal to lift the threshold on schemes which required a proportion of affordable housing, would result in less affordable housing.

·         Radical changes to the planning system were set out in the Planning White Paper, recently published by the Government.  The paper contained a set of high level ideas to stimulate debate and responses. The stated aim was to simplify planning and speed up the plan making process.  Plans would become more visual and use the latest digital technology. 

·         There were proposals to divide all areas into three zones: growth areas, renewal areas and protected areas. 

·         The Government hoped to involve more people at the plan making stage but not at the level of individual applications. 

·         They wanted to be able to agree new local plans in 2.5 years, rather than the current  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5