Welcome to the October planning update from the Bristol and Cardiff Planning teams. Please click on the links below to obtain further information on the identified topics.

1. Amendment to the permitted development regime for householders
A revised General Permitted Development Order has been laid before Parliament which means that from October the majority of homeowners will be able to build small loft conversions and other extensions to their homes without applying for planning permission.

2. Draft Heritage Protection Bill 2008
As part of its commitment to the protection of historic places, last year the Government published the first Heritage Bill in 30 years. Providing the Bill is passed through Parliament in 2008-09, the new system could be implemented by 2010.

3. Government package boosts affordable housing
On 2 September 2008 the Government announced a £1bn package of measures being brought forward in response to the worsening conditions in the housing market.

4. Planning applications and rate of determinations slightly up
According to the latest statistics, Local Planning Authorities in England received 649,000 planning applications in the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, which is an increase of 1% on the previous 12 months. In the same period approximately 596,000 applications were determined, an increase of 2% on the previous year.

5. Delay in Planning Application Fee increases in Wales
Savills are advising that there are considerable savings to be made if planning submissions are made before new fees for planning application proposals are introduced in Wales early next year.

1. Amendment to the permitted development regime for householders

A revised General Permitted Development Order has been laid before Parliament which means that from October the majority of homeowners will be able to build small loft conversions and other extensions to their homes without applying for planning permission.

The new rules are expected to remove up to a quarter of all household applications (80,000) from the system and could save up to £50 million each year in application fees and costs related to processing and delays.

The changes will allow building 'up and out', without the need to pay up to £1,000 to be granted planning permission and without the requirement to pay additional council tax on the home. However the size of the extension will be restricted to protect neighbours, with planning permission required for more intrusive extensions.

In addition the Regulations also aim to reduce the flood risk associated with surface water run-off by requiring planning consent for homeowners installing non-permeable paving. However new driveways or parking areas over 5 square metres will not require planning permission if they are constructed using permeable surfaces, allowing water to soak into the ground.

The revised permitted development order also upgrades the 17 World Heritage Sites (such as Hadrian's Wall and Westminster Palace) to the same protection levels as Conservation Areas, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Currently only around half of World Heritage Sites are protected in this way and the changes will no longer allow any type of development without the need for planning permission.

The Revised General Permitted Development Order can be viewed here

For further details contact David Cliff +44 (0) 117 910 0303

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2. Draft Heritage Protection Bill 2008

As part of its commitment to the protection of historic places, last year the Government published the first Heritage Bill in 30 years. Providing the Bill is passed through Parliament in 2008-09, the new system could be implemented by 2010.

The draft Heritage Protection Bill is designed to reform and unify the heritage protection systems in England and Wales. Currently, each designation system is managed separately through the 'listing' of buildings, the Schedule of Ancient Monuments, the Register of Parks, Gardens and Battlefields and the World Heritage site list.

The Bill identifies certain changes which include:

• Replacing 'listed building' with 'registered asset'.


• The term 'listing' is to be abolished in the interests of simplifying a system which currently has listed buildings and scheduled ancient monuments. However, the same grading will remain (Grade I, Grade II etc).


• Landscapes, including Capability Brown Parkland and farmed landscapes in National Parks can be registered as heritage assets.


• A single system for national designations will be created, with national responsibility devolved to English Heritage.


• The Bill will implement 'interim protection' to buildings and monuments under threat of demolition in a decision period.


• A new right of appeal will be open to those with an interest in a historic asset, but which is not open to interim protection or World Heritage Sites.
  

The aim is to bring this new system into one publicly accessible Register of Historic Buildings and Sites of England, which will be available via a new internet portal.

The link to the Bill and associated documents since its publication can be viewed here

For further details contact Will Spencer +44 (0) 117 910 0331

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3. Government package boosts affordable housing

On 2 September 2008 the Government announced a £1bn package of measures being brought forward in response to the worsening conditions in the housing market.

These include:

• Offering 10,000 first time buyers currently frozen out of the mortgage market the chance to get onto the property ladder through a new £300m shared equity scheme.


• Supporting up to 6,000 of the most vulnerable homeowners facing repossession to remain in their home through a £200m mortgage rescue scheme.


• £100m investment for the Support for Mortgage Interest reform which could help prevent a further 10,000 repossessions.


• A £400 million boost in spending power for social housing providers, including registered social landlords and councils, to deliver 5,500 more social houses over the next 18 months by bringing funding forward.


• Working with Regional Development Agencies to support the most critical regeneration schemes with the most potential to transform their communities.
  
  

The Chancellor of the Exchequer has also announced that stamp duty land tax will not apply to purchases of residential property of £175,000 or less.

The Communities and Local Government News Release can be viewed here.

For further details contact Nick Matthews +44 (0) 1179 100 370

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4. Planning applications and rate of determinations slightly up

According to the latest statistics, Local Planning Authorities in England received 649,000 planning applications in the period 1 April 2007 to 31 March 2008, which is an increase of 1% on the previous 12 months. In the same period approximately 596,000 applications were determined, an increase of 2% on the previous year.

With 82% of applications decided being granted, there was no change in comparison to the 2006/2007 figures. In terms of major applications 71% were determined within 13 weeks, which again is unchanged compared with 2006/2007.

The Development Control Statistics Report can be viewed via this link.

For further details contact Catherine Payne +44 (0) 1179 100 333

5. Delay in Planning Application Fee increases in Wales

Savills are advising that there are considerable savings to be made if planning submissions are made before new fees for planning application proposals are introduced in Wales early next year.

The fees are being introduced as part of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and these powers have been devolved to the National Assembly for Wales. The Welsh Assembly Government published a consultation document in April 2008 that outlined the specific fee proposals for planning applications. The Welsh Assembly Government are currently considering the consultation responses and although previously the price rises were programmed for November, Savills have established that they are now likely to come into force in early 2009.

The new fees could result in application fees rising broadly by 25% and with new maximum limits being increased, this could result in costs being doubled in some cases.

For further information please contact Abi Roberts +44 (0) 2920 368 911

Please do not hesitate to contact any of the individuals identified or us for further information.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Geraint John - Director
+44 (0) 2920 368 914
gjohn@savills.com

Nick Matthews - Associate Director         
+44 (0) 117 910 0370
nmatthews@savills.com

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