TABLE OF CONTENTS Planning reforms are changing the existing set of Development Plans.9
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Bill, which spells out the reforms, is expected to come into force in October 2004. The Bill fundamentally sweeps away the current system of county structure and unitary and local development plans in favour of RSS and Local Development Documents (LDD). Importantly, the RSS including Regional Transport Strategy (RTS) will become part of the 'Development Plan' which carries legal weight in consideration of planning applications. This means that local authorities' LDD will have to comply with the regional RSS and its transport strategy.
A statement of core policies and action plans for key areas of change will make up local authorities' LDD with supplementary planning documents, a statement of community involvement and a proposals map. The map will include all transport networks including walking and cycling routes, interchanges and areas subject to demand management proposals.
The main aim is to make planning more efficient while increasing community involvement in the process. The Bill will 'increase the predictability of planning decisions and speed up the handling of major infrastructure projects'.
In addition to changes to plan making, the Bill proposes several improvements to development control. Local authority power to compulsory purchase will be widened, providing it leads to economic, social and environmental benefit. A new scheme of loss payment is proposed, to supplement the value of property and disturbance costs. Given typical opposition to some recent highway schemes, this measure of compensation should,...
