Green Belt Promoters: what the new examination approach means for you
The housing minister’s letter last month changes Local Plan examination for councils, both in favour with the changes to Duty to Co-operate and against with regards to Green Belt Reviews.
Specifically what matters for promoters is twofold: Firstly, that inspectors can now recommend that councils undertake a Green Belt review if that is needed to identify sites. This is good news for situations where the Grey Belt option is not viable at realistic land values, or would fail some part of the tests with regards to transport or other element.
The second point is that the letter is designed to ensure that more Local Plans actually survive inspection instead of being bounced away during Duty to Co-operate reviews like which happened to Vale of White Horse/South Oxfordshire. The change in policy is to get current-system plans adopted where they are capable of being made adoptable and the pre-examination checklist is designed to help catch technical failings early. More successful Local Plans means more prospect of Allocation instead of needing to pursue more risky speculative applications which are disliked by Councillors and many Officers and which can be particularly perilous for smaller promotion firms.
Looking forward, the government’s plan-making reforms point to a targeted 30-month timetable for new plans once the new regulations and guidance commence. That is intended to deliver shorter, simpler plans, prepared faster than today, meaning more opportunities for promotions and reducing the competition for allocation in any particular local plan.
Of course, as always, some councils will “get with the program” and some councils will fight tooth and nail to see how much they can thwart the government’s ambitions, claiming they are holding the highest standards but really seeking to minimise change. The key is both identifying what sort of Council to which you are promoting, and making sure that you speak to the right people at that Council to either be allocated enthusiastically or at least grudgingly.
Our organisation was founded as a collective of current and former councillors, and members of our team are in the midst of plan-making today, so we can make the conversations happen which actually lead to allocations and not just activity. Disclaimer: Our team members do NOT work in areas where they are councillors.