Gareth Hooper is partner at DPP's Cardiff office, here he assesses the Welsh review into planning announced this week
The review into planning in Wales should be broadly welcomed; the ambition to create a planning system 'distinct to meet the needs of Wales' is nothing but positive. There are a number of key issues that must be managed to ensure this review delivers its objective though.
The members of the advisory group will be crucial. The business sector needs to be represented to ensure that the system delivers the investment needed to boost the Welsh economy. It's my view that previous consultations on changes to planning have focused too much on issues such as conservation and while a balance is important, the economy has got be a priority or Wales will lose out to England.
The timetable is too long. Some local authorities, including Cardiff, are still relying on outdated Local Development Plans and are already delaying the preparation of new plans because of the unpopularity of approaches such as the release of Greenfield land that is required to meet population and development growth targets. Accordingly, it's my concern that this review announcement could be used by Cardiff and other local authorities to delay decisions that are likely to be difficult and unpopular with the public ahead of local elections next year.
In the meantime, if the white paper is delayed until 2013 following the advisory panel reporting in June 2012, the resulting planning policy vacuum will see any effective traction for pro-growth measures, such as those kick-started by recent Enterprise Zone announcements, stagnate. In theory none of this sits well with the statement from the Assembly Government that this term is about 'delivery' - let's hope the practice proves different.
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