Property sector welcomes Government review of planning system

Representatives from the construction and property sectors have welcomed a Government review which recommends reducing the red tape involved in planning permission and non-planning consents for new projects.

The Penfold Review, which was commissioned by the Government, has recommended a range of improvements to the planning system in England and Wales, which it claims could save property developers time and money. It includes recommendations to simplify non-planning consents, give developers access to clear and accurate information, and improve the co-ordination of decision makers in the planning process.

Business Minister Mark Prisk said that the Government will "carefully consider this report" and accepted that "businesses involved in construction and development should not have to deal with a regime made more complicated through needless red tape and procedure".

Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation (BPF), told BAD News: "Adrian Penfold's review sets out some easy wins for the new Government in speeding up the planning system and helping the development process. All of his recommendations should be carried forward to redress the balance in terms of ensuring that development is not constantly caught up in a quagmire of bureaucracy and red tape."

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has also welcomed the Penfold Review's recommendations and called for the Government to introduce them as soon as possible. Non-planning consents affect many of the CLA's members, covering work such as protected species licensing, footpath diversion and listed building consent. CLA president William Worsley said: "Non-planning consents usually have genuine public interest justifications, but in practice often work in inefficient or disproportionate ways, delaying or preventing changes which would create jobs or homes."

To read the full set of recommendations set out by the Penfold Review click here.

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