Consultation outcome

Improving the use of planning conditions

From:: Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government
Published: 7 September 2016
Last updated: 15 December 2016 — See all updates

Applies to England

Download the full outcome

Government response to the consultation on improving the use of planning conditions

Ref: ISBN 978-1-4098-4967-4

PDF, 401 KB, 16 pages

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Detail of outcome

The government’s response to the consultation on measures in the Neighbourhood Planning Bill to address the inappropriate use of pre-commencement planning conditions, and to prohibit the use of other types of planning conditions which do not meet the tests in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Unnecessary and unreasonable planning conditions can prevent development from starting until the local planning authority has approved certain details.

To help address the urgent need to tackle the inappropriate use of ‘pre-commencement’ conditions, government is introducing a power in the Neighbourhood Planning Bill to ensure that these conditions can only be used with the agreement of the applicant. The measure will not change the way conditions can be used to maintain existing protections for important matters such as heritage, the natural environment, green spaces, and the mitigation of flooding.

The government will also introduce a power in the Bill to prohibit specific types of condition which do not meet the tests in the National Planning Policy Framework.

This document provides the government’s response to the comments raised during the consultation on these proposals.

Original consultation

Consultation description

A consultation on measures in the Neighbourhood Planning Bill to address the inappropriate use of pre-commencement planning conditions, and to prohibit the use of other types of planning conditions which do not meet the tests in the National Planning Policy Framework.

Unnecessary and unreasonable planning conditions can prevent development from starting until the local planning authority has approved certain details. To help address the urgent need to tackle the inappropriate use of ‘pre-commencement’ conditions, government is introducing a power in the Neighbourhood Planning Bill to ensure that these conditions can only be used with the agreement of the applicant.

The measure will not change the way conditions can be used to maintain existing protections for important matters such as heritage, the natural environment, green spaces, and the mitigation of flooding.

The government will also introduce a power in the Bill to prohibit specific types of condition which do not meet the tests in the National Planning Policy Framework.

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