Out of Whitehall

Cooper: Plan to speed up planning

Could there be light at the end of the very long and dark tunnel that is the UK's planning system? Recent moves from the corridors of the ODPM's Eland House headquarters and the offices of the Treasury hold the promise of real hope.

Last month, housing and planning minister Yvette Cooper announced a pilot programme to try out the use of planning delivery agreements to help speed up and improve the processing of large and complex developments.

The way the agreements will work is that developers, local planning authorities and other stakeholders will agree a plan of action that, crucially for developers, will include a defined timeframe.

PDAs were developed in collaboration with the Advisory Team for Large Applications, which is provided by English Partnerships to help unblock whatever it is that is holding up large applications. This is to be tested at 21 sites around the country, but already there is a mood of optimism about the idea, with Liz Peace, the chief executive of the British Property Federation, urging developers to "enter into these pilots with enthusiasm".

The announcement came alongside moves to place the workings of the planning system under greater scrutiny. Kate Barker has now set out the terms of reference for her independent review of the planning system for the Treasury, which was announced in last December's pre-Budget report.

These are to look at: ways of improving the efficiency and speed of the system; ways of increasing flexibility, transparency and predictability; the relationship between planning and productivity; and the relationship between economic and other sustainable development goals in the delivery of sustainable communities.

Barker's terms of reference include a list of questions, such as: "If the process is too slow, what could be done to overcome delays?"

The deadline for responses to Barker's call for evidence is 28 March. Barker will publish an interim report in early summer, and a final report at the end of the year.

At the same time, the Treasury has asked accountant Pricewaterhouse Coopers to investigate the true cost of planning, taking into account the cost of appeals and delays. PWC's findings are expected to be published later this year at the time of the next pre-Budget report. That may seem some way off right now, but it could be worth the wait if we eventually emerge into daylight.