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Winchester T: 01962 893 893 F: 01962 893 883
London T: 020 7812 6490 F: 020 7812 6677
info@remarkable-engagement.co.uk
Find out more about Localism visit localism-agenda.com
Community groups have expressed alarm that the Government's proposed threshold for applications that subject to mandatory consultation would apply to between 0.4 and 0.8 of all planning applications.
The admission came in the Government's impact assessment document on the Localism Bill, which suggested that the duty to consult - which the Bill states would apply to "large-scale major applications - would include only "strategic" developments of 200 or more homes or 10,000 square metres of floor space.
The definition contradicts that of "major developments" which can be called in for determination by the Secretary of State, which applies to developments of 10 or more homes or a site area of 0.5ha or more.
The definition for the consultation threshold is not included in the Bill, and various groups are gearing up to lobby for its reduction in the coming months.
Tony Burton, director of charity Civic Voice, said: "Such a high threshold means that communities' expectations of grown-up engagement at the earliest stage of planning will be dashed. The tiny fraction of development above the threshold will already engage most communities. A much lower threshold is needed."
Kate Houghton, planning officer at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: "As this is something that will be defined in regulation, we will be looking to discuss the threshold with the DCLG."
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