Every day, hundreds of homeowners
object to planning applications. Some succeed but, by
acting only in response to an application, objectors can
face a tough struggle because a preference for development
will often have been cleared, at a policy level, beforehand.
The solution is to know the system and get involved early.
Objections that reveal a proposal to run contrary to national
or local government planning policy have a high chance
of succeeding.
The System
There are three basic levels at which planning policy
operates. The first is national, such as Planning Policy
Statements issued by central government. Then there are
Regional Spatial Strategies covering, for example, the
whole of the North East. These are normally drawn up by
a regional assembly, which reports annually to central
government.
The third and most local level is now – under a new
system currently being implemented across the country
– the Local Development Framework. This is not one
document but, in effect, a container for a collection
of documents addressing various issues. The idea is that
this system allows for greater variation and local interpretation.
Typically, a Local Development Framework will include
Development Plan Documents, a Statement of Community Involvement
and, most importantly, a Local Development Scheme.
The Local Development Scheme
This document tells you what the Local Development Framework
in question contains and what it will contain in future.
It will often include a schedule for those documents currently
under preparation, showing what stage they have reached
and when they are expected to be finalised.
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Lobbying
The best time to influence the contents of the documents
within a Local Development Framework is during the official
consultation process – though note that documents
are also subject to periodic review and the new system
is designed to be easier to amend. Either way, your voice
stands a much greater chance of making a difference if
it is one of many. Homeowners are both voters and council
tax payers and have genuine political clout, especially
in numbers. It is no coincidence that the most successful
of those whom we help usually speak for large groups.
Getting information
The best source of information, by far, is your local
authority’s website. Most now have thorough planning
sections from which copies of documents can be downloaded,
free of charge. Alternatively, the council offices themselves
and local libraries are generally most helpful.
Tom Brenan is Advice & Referral Coordinator for
the Environmental Law Foundation, which aims to provide
access to environmental justice for all. It advises people
on their options for action and operates a network of
specialist lawyers that are able to provide initial advice
free of charge. It can be reached on 020 7404 1030.
Top five
concerns
of callers to the Environmental Law Foundation
| 1. |
Development of open land
(esp. abandonment of green belt) |
| 2. |
Damage to wildlife habitats |
| 3. |
Industrial and commercial noise (inc. aircraft) |
| 4. |
Municipal waste incinerators |
| 5. |
Traffic levels |
|
Top left: West Sussex, 52 acres,
£2 million guide
Top right: Cheshire, 180 acres, POA
Left: Essex/Suffolk borders, 174 acres, £2.5 million
guide
Owning large areas of land affords great environmental
control, but even large estates can suffer the airborne
noise and chemical pollution that feature in three of
Environmental Law’s ‘top five’.
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