The End of Outline Planning?
The Welsh Assembly Government is currently out to consultation on changes to Planning Policy in Wales (PPW). Amongst the many proposals, one of the most contentious is the proposal to do away with the Outline Planning process.
Administratively, I can see the sense. Fearing potential problems, planners have been asking for increasingly detailed information from applicants to justify their proposals, so much so that outline consent is almost redundant.
However, a key consideration is being missed and that's the reason why outline exists in the first place. Outline consent was originally envisaged as a mechanism for a low cost enquiry to establish if the principal of a dwelling was acceptable. This is critical so that land owners can establish the development opportunity of land in order to sell it to developers.
My concern is if we do away with this process then fewer plots will be available, adding yet another reason why, as a nation, we're not building enough new homes.
The system needs to simplified and returned to it's roots. Establishing the principal of a dwelling at outline should not be a guarantee of full planning, but a yardstick of potential. The consultation ends on 18th May 2018 and its impact should not be overlooked.
Follow the link to view the consultation.
