John Rhodes advising Government on local plans
The Local Plans Expert Group (LPEG) was established by the Communities Secretary of State, Greg Clark, and the Planning Minister, Brandon Lewis, in September 2015 to consider how local plans can be made more efficient and effective. John Rhodes from Quod chairs the group which has today reported to the Government.
Full details of the Group’s full membership, its work and recommendations can be found at www.lpeg.org
The NPPF provides that “Local Plans should be the key to delivering sustainable development that reflects the vision and aspiration of local communities” but less than a third of the country has an up to date local plan – and the review identified three significant problems:
- authorities are struggling to meet the requirements of a complex local plans process;
- housing needs are not being met; and
- communities are turned off by the length, slow pace, remote and obscure nature of many local plans.
LPEG has set out 47 recommendations to Government to address these concerns. Speaking on the day of the launch John Rhodes said:
“Local Plans are central to the operation of an effective planning system. A review is overdue and LPEG has been greatly assisted by all those who have provided evidence and practical insight.
Our report shows that substantial reform is necessary but also possible – if our recommendations are accepted as a package we strongly believe that all those with an interest in local plans – communities, local authorities and developers can look forward to a faster, fairer and more inclusive plan making process which delivers the development that the country needs.”
Download the Press Release here
