New planning authority criteria: Faster assessments, separate evaluations, stricter performance thresholds.
Guide
Improving Planning Performance: New Criteria Update
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The Government has unveiled updated criteria for assessing and enhancing the performance of local planning authorities. These changes aim to streamline the evaluation process and promote more efficient, high-quality planning services.
One of the key modifications include:
Reduction of the assessment period for speed of decision-making from two years to one year.
This adjustment is designed to make the data more current and responsive to performance changes, allowing for a more accurate reflection of an authority's recent performance.
The new criteria include:
Separate assessments for major and non-major development applications, focusing on both the speed and quality of decisions.
This approach allows for a more nuanced evaluation of planning authorities' performance across different types of applications.
Local authorities now face the risk of being designated as underperforming if they fail to meet specific thresholds:
Major developments: authorities must make at least 60% of decisions within statutory or agreed timeframes
Non-major developments: authorities must make at least 70% of decisions within statutory or agreed timeframes
Where more than 10% of decisions in either category are overturned on appeal, an authority may be designated as underperforming.
To address underperformance:
Designated authorities will be required to prepare improvement plans.
For non-major development designations, there will be a specific focus on enhancing the processing of householder applications.
The criteria also outline a de-designation process, allowing authorities to have their underperforming status lifted by demonstrating significant improvements and meeting specific criteria. This provides an incentive for continuous improvement and a path for authorities to regain their standing.
These measures are part of a broader strategy to support local planning authorities in providing efficient, high-quality services and contributing to wider housing and economic growth objectives. By refining the assessment criteria and introducing more targeted interventions, the Government aims to create a more responsive and effective planning system across the England and Wales.
If you would like to read more about the revised criteria for assessing local planning authority performance, please visit here.
To discuss any of the matters discussed above or any other planning matter, please contact the team.