[UPDATE: For the subsequent government response to this consultation, please view the following posts:
- This post for the response document relating to the standard method for assessing local housing need.
- This post for the response document relating to First Homes.]
The government has published the following consultation, which runs for 8 weeks from 06/08/2020 until 01/10/2020:
- August 2020: Changes to the current planning system - Consultation on changes to planning policy and regulations (pdf) (link).
Notes:
- The "Introduction" at the start of the above consultation document includes the following information:
- "[The] Planning for the Future [White Paper] sets out plans to undertake a fundamental reform of the planning system and explains that this would be accompanied by shorter-term measures. This consultation sets out proposals for measures to improve the effectiveness of the current system. The four main proposals are:
>>> changes to the standard method for assessing local housing need, which as well as being a proposal to change guidance in the short term has relevance to proposals for land supply reforms set out in [the] Planning for the Future [White Paper];
>>> securing of First Homes, sold at a discount to market price for first time buyers, including key workers, through developer contributions in the short term until the transition to a new system;
>>> temporarily lifting the small sites threshold below which developers do not need to contribute to affordable housing, to up to 40 or 50 units to support SME builders as the economy recovers from the impact of Covid-19;
>>> extending the current Permission in Principle to major development so landowners and developers now have a fast route to secure the principle of development for housing on sites without having to work up detailed plans first.". - Note: The consultation within the above "Changes to the current planning system - Consultation on changes to planning policy and regulations" document covers shorter-term measures, whereas longer-term measures are covered by the consultation within the "Planning for the Future - White Paper" document (note: for more information about the latter consultation, please view this post).
Other sources of information: