Getting Involved in Planning Decisions

Engaging with the Town Planning Process

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Getting Involved in Planning Decisions

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• Why should people be involved in planning decision-making?• 3 good reasons:

- enhancing democracy and empowering people - using the planning system to achieve community objectives and projects, enabling the Big Society to function properly- using local knowledge to improve what actually happens.

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Getting Involved in Planning Decisions

• What gets in the way of community involvement?– lack of awareness of what can be done to

respond to issues. – lack of awareness of ways to face up to private

developers and public bureaucrats.– lack of resources to access appropriate

expertise.

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Getting Involved in Planning Decisions

• Communities need a little help in overcoming the barriers to involvement.• For the Big Society to work, communities need

to access expertise.• For town planning expertise, there is

Planning Aid.

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What is Planning Aid?

• A service providing free, independent and professional advice on town planning issues to community groups and individuals who cannot afford professional fees.• A national service of the Royal Town Planning

Institute, delivered regionally.• Funded partly by CLG and partly from

donations.

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How do we do it?

• A small core of paid staff with volunteers who provide advice and support through:– explaining procedures and policies– helping write letters and statements– helping communities develop their own ideas– assisting in facilitating community/local planning

authority participation events – educational projects with young and old– offering training to community groups.

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Getting Involved in Planning Decisions

• What sorts of planning decisions are there?– Policies: the basis and guidelines for making decisions

about individual projects – mostly found in national “Policy Statements” and local “Development Plans/ Frameworks” (including ‘Core Strategies’ and ‘Supplementary Planning Documents’)

– Permissions: granting or refusing applications to carry out a project, plus all the negotiations leading up that decision (“Development Management”).

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Influencing Planning Decisions: Policies

• Reasons for wanting to influence decisions relating to Development Plans:– Decisions on individual planning applications

should ‘conform’ to Development Plan policies – if a Development Plan says “yes”, then it is

difficult for a Planning Authority to say “no”

• Objecting to a Planning Application may be TOO LATE!

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Influencing Planning Decisions: Policies

• A further reason:– Development Plan processes are also a mechanism

for committing the Council (and other public agencies) to address issues, such as new roads, housing renewal, environmental improvements – and can pave the way to, say, a Development Trust project.

• A Development Plan policy is a major step towards seeing things happen!

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Influencing Planning Decisions:Planning Applications

• Reasons for wanting to influence decisions relating to Development Management: – Oppose proposals in principle as being in the wrong

place and/or at the wrong time.– Amend proposals in design and detail.

• Enabling opportunities for improvements to your community and environment.

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Influencing Planning Decisions:Planning Applications

• Using development to enable (finance) new local infrastructure – physical and social:– roads/traffic management, flood barriers …– schools, clinics, community centres …– open space, leisure centres, nature conservation …– affordable housing.

• Mechanisms: s106 Agreements, Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

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Influencing Planning Decisions: Making A Case

• Make your comments as clear and concise as you can, focusing on your particular objection/ idea, but referring to the wider context.

• Be prepared to find evidence to back up your arguments – do your own research: egs– affordable housing: find out how many potential

households there are (Housing Department)– protect an area of open space: find out if there is a

local deficiency (NPFA/Sport England)– and guidance from Planning Aid!