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.

The Queen’s Speech on 11 May 2021 announced the Planning & Environment Bills, expected in Autumn 2021.

• The government intended to change local plans to “provide more certainty” over permissible development - "changing local plans" so they "provide more certainty over the type, scale and design of development permitted on different categories of land". It went on to say that the changes would involve "clear land allocations in local plans" which would provide "more certainty for communities and developers …
• The planning bill would involve "digitising" the planning system to make it "more visual" and would aim to improve public engagement in planning. 
• A new levy was promised to replace existing methods of securing developer contributions towards infrastructure and affordable housing "replacing the existing systems for funding affordable housing and infrastructure from development with a new more predictable and more transparent levy". Last year’s planning white paper said the Government wanted to replace the community infrastructure levy (CIL) with a "nationally set, value-based, flat-rate charge", equal to a fixed proportion of the development's value, above a yet-to-be-determined threshold.
• Various aspects of planning decision-making would be accelerated - The Planning Bill would aim to create "simpler, faster procedures for producing local development plans" as well as for "approving major schemes" and "assessing environmental impacts”

Changes to permitted development rights for electronic communications infrastructure: technical consultation

Members were advised of the technical consultation, available via the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-permitted-development-rights-for-electronic-communications-infrastructure-technical-consultation

The technical consultation for increasing PD rights for telecommunications masts was open until 14 June 2021. Officers would be preparing a response to seek that sensitive areas such as the Lincolnshire Wolds AONB and Conservation Areas would not be unduly affected. 

The following update regarding Neighbourhood Plans was detailed to the Committee.