Consultation on simplifying planning applications launched

The plans propose reducing the amount of information that is required for outline planning applications; giving local planning authorities the power to amend what information is required, and amending the standard application to reduce the number of invalid applications that are received.

In response to the "Killian Pretty Review", which was conducted in 2008, the proposals in the consultation to amend the information requirements for planning applications to make them "clearer, simpler and more proportionate, with unnecessary requirements removed".

The proposed changes aim to support the 'localist' approach by removing information requirements that are imposed nationally that are not needed for every application. It is hoped that this approach would allow for agreement locally on what is needed.

The plans propose removing the nationally prescribed information requirements for outline planning applications.

"Of course, it will still be necessary for outline applications to stipulate the use or uses proposed for the development, and the amount of development proposed for each use," the consultation said.

The consultation also proposed that there be "strong encouragement for local planning authorities to keep their local information requirements under frequent review...to encourage a much greater shift towards proportionate use of local planning authorities' powers to impose information requirements at the local level".

To do this, it is proposed that articles 10 and 29 of the Development Management Procedure Order would be amended to require local planning authorities to revisit their local lists of information requirements on at least a two-yearly basis.

This would be achieved by stipulating that, in order to have an impact of the validation of planning applications, the lists that they are already encouraged to prepare under Article 29(3) must have last been published less than two years before a planning application was submitted to them, the consultation said.

It is also proposed that the standard planning application form is amended, so that its requirements for agricultural land declarations and ownership certificates are amalgamated.

It is hoped that this would reduce the number of invalid applications that are received by amending the ownership certificate to include a reference to agricultural tenants, and deleting the separate agricultural land declaration, the consultation said.

The consultation opened yesterday and will be open to comments until 11 September.