The coalition government’s decision to scrap Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) will create a planning vacuum causing further uncertainty for major developers and particularly house builders in an already fragile housing market, warns independent planning consultancy DPP. 

RSSs, for all their faults, were extremely useful tools in providing clear guidance for developers, planners and local authorities on locations for growth and on housing, commercial and infrastructure developments.

Richard Flack, Senior Partner at DPP said: “The market needs certainty now more than ever.  The decision to scrap RSSs with no indication of what is going to replace them or without clear guidance for local authorities is ill-advised.  The difficulties are compounded as initiatives to introduce the new national planning policy framework are still some way off, as are significant changes to how Local Plans will be prepared to reflect the localism agenda.  An uncertain transitional period is in prospect.  It is the antithesis of good planning.”

The abolition of RSSs does provide local authorities with the opportunity to review and rewrite their Local Development Plans, which may result in an increase or decrease in local housing numbers.  Local authorities are to be incentivised to promote housing development, but there is little indication as to the extent of these incentives.  There is also the very real danger that Nimbyism will exert an undue influence over the local planning agenda constraining the ability to meet housing requirements.

Richard adds: “Further problems will arise when it comes to infrastructure projects and large developments that involve more than one local authority.  The government would like local authorities to collaborate, yet without some national direction by way of incentive or stick this is simply unlikely to happen in any coherent fashion.”

Developers may be tempted to rush into this planning vacuum and seek to push through more controversial schemes or sit back and wait for clearer guidance from the government, neither of which is particularly desirable.  Some local authorities, on the other hand, may take it as a cue to delay preparing local policies until a more settled planning landscape is in place.

Richard Flack offers developers this advice: “The ‘localism’ agenda is here and developers should look to embrace and confront this new and emerging regime head on.  In practice this means forging closer relationships with local authorities, trying to discover what motivates local politicians and understanding and engaging with the plethora of local interest groups.

“Developers would also do well to maximise the sustainability credentials of their schemes given the proposed introduction of a presumption in favour of sustainable development.”

And yet developers may encounter further problems as pressures on the public purse deepen.  “Planners in local authorities are worried about their future as they too face budget cuts,” explains Richard.  “Local authority resources are going to be tightly constrained as budget cuts begin to bite and this will have implications on the level of support and service delivery.”

Richard continues: “Above all, developers will need to be flexible and consider how they can assist local authorities in the determination of planning decisions.”

Sustainable targets threatened
RSSs, in addition to providing much needed direction on how national targets were to be met, provided a valuable body of knowledge that often underpinned a local authority’s decision making in relation to sustainability and zero carbon measures.

Sunil Shah, a partner and head of sustainability at DPP said: “Without national direction or targets imposed on local authorities that encourage developers to put forward schemes with strong sustainability credentials, commercial and residential developers are likely to reduce or drop entirely sustainability measures in a continuing effort to reduce costs.”

By abolishing RSSs the coalition government will expect local authorities to shoulder the burden on ensuring that sustainable development targets are met. 

Yet as Sunil explains, many local authorities simply do not have this level of expertise: “There is a real danger that a valuable body of knowledge that many local authorities have come to rely upon when making planning decisions will be lost.  Without this information and some national direction local authorities are ill-equipped to take on this role.  There is also a danger that neighbouring local authorities may adopt disparate strategies, making planning extremely difficult for developers working across different authorities.”

Sunil continues: “RSSs forced architects and their clients to think about sustainability measures from the outset.  To really make an impact on sustainability such decisions needs to come at the planning stage.  This is now in danger of being lost and it is difficult to see how these tough zero carbon standards will be met.”

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About DPP
DPP is a top ten independent town planning consultancy providing strategic advice to the a range of clients. DPP's chartered planners, sustainability, heritage and design experts work with developers, landowners, business operators and public sector bodies, offering services relating to the development and use of land. The firm operates in all development sectors with a particular presence in residential, retail, regeneration, mixed uses, business and commercial.  DPP is committed to maintaining the qualities that separate us from our competitors, as well as continuing to enhance our established reputation for providing high quality, efficient and cost-effective services while helping clients reach their planning and development objectives.

Clients of DPP include Bellway Homes Ltd, Caffé Nero, Centros, Domino's Pizza, English Heritage, Invensys, Liberty Properties, Liverpool Land Development Company, Mercian Developments, The Ministry of Justice, Shell International, Taylor Wimpey, Tesco, Unilever Pension Fund Trustees, United Utilities, the Watkin Jones Group, DP World and the Welsh Assembly Government.

Contact
Ceri Edwards, Redwood Consulting
Tel: 020 7828 5553
Email: ceri@redwoodconsulting.co.uk