Cautious welcome for planning shake-up

By John Harrington

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Planning permission Zoning Town and country planning in the united kingdom

BISL: welcomed changes
BISL: welcomed changes
Business in Sport and Leisure welcomes the plan to streamline, but is concerned that new hurdles may be added to the process.

A trade body has given a cautious welcome to Government plans to overhaul the planning system.

The Government wants to streamline non-planning consents, which are additional permissions needed on top on standard planning consent. They relate to areas such as clearance on environmental or heritage grounds.

Plans from the Department for Business, Innovation & Skills, in response to the Penfold Review, include scrapping existing consents where new types of non-planning consents are proposed.

It will also work with the Local Government Association to share good practice between councils, and "break down any cultural or practical barriers to smooth working between professionals".

Business in Sport and Leisure (BISL) executive director Andy Sutch said: "BISL strongly welcomes the Government's ambition that for the UK's business environment to compete with the best internationally, the Coalition must facilitate efficient and competitive markets and minimise the burden of regulation.

"BISL welcomes particularly the Government recognition that the process of obtaining all the necessary planning consents can be complex and costly for business and a serious constraint on development.

"BISL welcomes any review that will drive a programme of streamlining and simplification in the planning and development consents systems but there are few concrete proposals so far."

But he added: "BISL is concerned, however, that a simplified consent system where everything is loaded onto the planning application may just add more hurdles to getting planning permission. BISL welcomes the one-in, one-out approach to reducing legislative burden as long as the replacement legislation is no more constraining."

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