An idea has grown up since the Community Secretary Eric Pickles abolished Regional Spacial Strategies that local councils are now rudderless and acting in a vacuum as far as delivery of new houses is concerned and some planning departments appear to be waiting for new Government guidance before deciding where and what numbers of houses should be built in their areas.

There is unlikely to be any such guidance save for that already circulated by the Chief Government Planner who made the following important points:-

  1. Councils should identify general areas to deliver what they aspire to for at least 15 years and should have a five year supply of sites which are actually deliverable.
  2. Existing policies will provide the statutory planning framework and although councils can review adopted plans there is no requirement to revisit the entire local development framework.
  3. Councils should be carrying on with their core strategies and development plan documents.
  4. Councils should be collecting evidence in case their housing supply strategies are challenged.
  5. Councils must still consider their development plan and National Policy, including any policy which led to regional strategy being prepared when they consider planning applications.

The effect of all this is that instead of top down direction the responsibility has passed to local councils who can set their own targets and then proceed in the way they did before.

What has happened is a sudden breaking down of the suffocating Government involvement and the introduction of what this coalition Government calls localism and it is high time councils realised this and got on with complying with their duties to make plans and provide sites.

Of course the other side of the coin is that until there is real pressure from locals wanting housing or builders wanting to provide it the new regime does provide a useful smoke screen for those councillors and councils who want to resist new housing at all costs.

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