Planning/Housing etc Compulsory Purchase Orders; Section 19 (Acquisition Of Land Act 1981) Open Space Certificate Applications; and Less-Than-Best Consideration Land Disposal (of land by local authorities) are handled for the whole of England by National Unit for Land Acquisitions and Disposals Team at the Government Office for London:
The National Unit for Land Acquisitions and Disposals
Government Office for London
Riverwalk House
157–161 Millbank
London SW1P 4RR
Email: enquiries-planning.gol@go-regions.gov.uk
Telephone: 020 7217 3119 or 020 7217 3137
Fax: 020 7217 3471
A variety of other Planning Casework including
- Listed Building Consent – Local Planning Authority applications
- Article 4 Directions
- Completion Notices
- Modification Orders
- Revocation Orders
- Discontinuance Orders
- Conservation Area Consents
- Statutory Allotments Disposals
- Green Belt (London and Home Counties) Act 1938
- Public Requests to Order Disposals of Land (PROD)
This is handled by:
The National Planning Casework Team
Government Office for the West Midlands
5 St Philip's Place
Colmore Row
Birmingham
B3 2PW
Email: WMPlanning@gowm.gsi.gov.uk
Telephone: 0121 352 5405 or 0121 352 5421
Transport Casework for England is dealt with by the National Transport Casework Team at the Government Office for the North East:
The National Transport Casework Team
Government Office for the North East
Citygate
Gallowgate
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 4WH
Email: casework@gone.gsi.gov.uk
Fax: 0191 202 3744
Tree Preservation Order (TPO) Appeals and Tree Replacement Notice (TRN) Appeals are handled by:
The Environment Team
The Planning Inspectorate
Room 4/04 Kite Wing
Temple Quay House
2 The Square
Temple Quay
Bristol BS1 6PN
Email: environment.appeals@pins.gsi.gov.uk
Fax: 0117 372 6241
Planning appeals
Planning appeals are made in England to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. Under the ‘Town and Country Planning Act 1990’, almost all appeals can be decided by planning inspectors. These are called ‘transferred appeals’, the power to make decisions being transferred from the Secretary of State to the Planning Inspectorate.
Departures from development plans
‘Departure application’ refers to an application for planning permission that does not conform with the Development Plan in force in the area in which the application site is situated.
Where a departure application, which a local planning authority proposes to approve, meets the following criteria, it should be sent to the Government Office for consideration:
- it includes more than 150 houses or flats, or more than 5000 square metres of retail, leisure, office or mixed commercial development
- the authority has an interest in the land or will itself be one of the developers
- it would significantly prejudice implementation of the Development Plan
- A variety of other issues (for more details refer to The Town and Country Planning (Development Plans and Consultation) (Departures) Directions 1999
Each referred application is considered by the GO against national and regional planning policies. At this stage, it is not for the Secretary of State to consider whether or not an application should be granted planning permission, but whether it should be called in for public inquiry and her own determination.
For a more detailed explanation of the procedures for the preparation of Development Plans under the new system, please refer to Planning Policy Statement 12: Local Development Frameworks on the Communities and Local Government’s website.
