Of the very, very many things announced by Michael Gove in the ‘Falling back in love with the future’ speech of December 2023 one of the most interesting and potentially most significant was the “rapid three-month review into the statutory consultee system” to be led by Sam Richards. Richards is campaign director and chief executive at Britain Remade and had been a special advisor on energy and the environment at Number 10. The then Secretary of State said that he believed that stat cons are "an important check and balance within our planning system, safeguarding the environment, respecting heritage and ensuring health and safety considerations are properly taken into account", but expressed worry about “delay and procrastination". "A superficial glance at the statistics suggests that most statutory consultees respond within the expected 21-day limit, but look a little closer, and you can observe the regular use of holding responses - effectively an 'I'll g
Picture the scene. In the back of a taxi on the way to giving a speech about housing, a Minister solicits ideas from their team for putting “ rocket boosters ” under housebuilding. “Come on people! We need to tear up planning rules and allow more homes to be built in urban areas where they are most needed!” “Brownfield passports, Minister?” “Go on”. “Well, developments on brownfield land could be fast-tracked for approval as long as they meet high design and quality standards. Less wasted space in cities. Fewer bungalows and more dense housing in high demand areas.” “Splendid....” There we have it. A brownfield passport policy paper and a call for evidence on options to further increase certainty in relation to brownfield development that includes bold proposals that provide far greater clarity as to the principle, scale, and form of brownfield development with a view to lowering the risk, cost and uncertainty associated with securing planning permissions.’ Flippancy aside for one mom