Agenda item

Note – the status of Neighbourhood Plans in the District may be found via this link

https://www.west-lindsey.gov.uk/my-services/planning-and-building/neighbourhood-planning/

The Committee heard the following update from the Interim Planning Manager (Development Management) regarding planned changes to planning policy.

Class E (Commercial, Business and Service) to class C3 (dwellinghouse) permitted development

The Government was introducing legislation for England to bring forward this right from 1 August 2021. The right would allow for local consideration by the local planning authority of specific planning matters through the prior approval process. These considerations included:

·         Flooding

·         Impacts of noise from commercial premises

·         Provision of adequate natural light to all habitable rooms

·         In conservation areas only - consideration of the impact of the loss of the ground floor Commercial, Business and Service use

·         Impact of the loss of health centres and registered nurseries on the provision of such local services

The right also included a vacancy requirement that would ensure the building changing use had been vacant for 3 months before the date of the application, to protect successful businesses in these premises. A size limit would also be included of 1,500 square metres of floorspace being able to change use under the right, to focus the right on medium sized high street sites which were more likely to be suitable for conversion.

To prevent gaming, the building must have been in Commercial Business and Service use for two years before benefiting from the right. The right would apply in Conservation Areas, but not in other protected land listed in Article 2(3) of the GPDO (General Permitted Development (Order)) which included national parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).

Public Service Infrastructure permitted development

This amended permitted development right would allow for the extension, erection or alteration of school, college, university, hospital, and for the first time, prison buildings, by up to 25% of the existing footprint of the cumulative buildings on the site, or 250 square metres, whichever is greater. The existing height restriction on new buildings was also being increased from 5 metres to 6 metres.

Protect unlisted statues, memorials and monuments

The demolition of unlisted statues, memorials or monuments (“a commemorative structure”) was no longer permitted development and would require an application for planning permission.

In determining applications to remove historic statues, local planning authorities would need to have regard to the government’s policy that these should be retained and explained rather than removed.

See https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-freedoms-to-support-high-streets-and-fast-track-delivery-of-schools-and-hospitals-across-england-introduced-today

The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development etc.) (England) (Amendment) Order 2021

Written Statement by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – 25^th March 2021

“This Written Ministerial Statement confirms that the approach set out in my previous statement to the House of 13 May 2020, about construction working hours due to COVID-19, will remain in place until 30 September 2021. This continued flexibility is necessary due to the continued impact of COVID-19 and to support the construction industry to recover and operate safely as we emerge from the pandemic. This date will be kept under review.”

“Accordingly local planning authorities, having regard to their legal obligations, should not seek to undertake planning enforcement action which would result in the unnecessary restriction of retail hours between 7am to 10pm, Monday to Saturday, from Step 2 of the roadmap (no earlier than 12 April) until the introduction of Step 4 of the roadmap (scheduled for no earlier than 21 June 2021).”