Planning white paper lacks detail, says City of London Corporation

The City of London Corporation has criticised housing minister Robert Jenrick’s proposed planning reform white paper over its lack of detail. In its drafted response to the white paper, which is to be agreed at its next planning and transportation committee, the corporation said it backed the need for a review in principle but that “a number of its proposals appear as headlines, with little supporting information or detail”. “Without this detail, it is difficult to provide positive comments on a number of aspects of the proposed planning reform.” For example, the response flagged the “very light” detail on how the proposed infrastructure levy would be delivered in practice or what would replace the existing non-financial section 106 planning obligations, such as contributions towards training and skills which might be lost under the white paper proposals. It added that the requirements for CIL and S106 in the City of London are well known and understood by the majority of developers making the complete replacement of the system “a retrograde step”. The proposed response also raised concerns over affordable housing in the white paper and the lack of clarity over the government’s definition of this. The response added that it expects the ability of local authorities to require on-site affordable housing to be “significantly” impacted as the white paper focuses on a financial contribution instead to provide housing elsewhere. The corporation’s response argued that this on-site affordable housing delivery should be retained specifically to link the delivery of market housing to on-site affordable housing. In addition, the move to a mandatory target for housing delivery set by the government could see the City of London’s housing target reduced from 146 homes per year under the current draft London Plan to 116, while other boroughs would see increases of several hundred percent, the response said. “Nationally set targets cannot adequately reflect local circumstances, opportunities or needs.” Overall, the government’s ambitions behind its planning reforms could be delivered through refinement and evolution of the existing planning system or more selective reform, the corporation’s response said. To send feedback, e-mail louise.dransfield@egi.co.uk or tweet @DransfieldL or @estatesgazette Photo © Xyz Pictures/imageBROKER/Shutterstock