We have frequent discussions with local authorities, providing them with advice and information on planning policies and best practice. When appropriate, we help authorities and others involved in the planning system with presentations, seminars and workshops on changes to the system.
Planning performance
The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) rates every local planning authority according to its speed of performance against national targets in deciding planning applications. Together with DCLG and the Planning Advisory Service (PAS), we are engaged with authorities showing weak performance.
Planning delivery
A number of initiatives aim to improve planning performance and focus authorities on delivering their local plan priorities:
- Planning Delivery Grant rewards performance in delivering better planning services, including e-planning capacity and sustainable communities (see 2007-08 allocations).
- The Planning Advisory Service (delivered through the Improvement and Development Agency) supports and advises authorities on how to make the planning service better, faster and more efficient.
- Best value performance indicators drive and measure authorities’ performance.
- A wide range of e-planning initiatives provide new tools and methods to support and planning and electronically deliver working practices across local and central government, statutory agencies and communities.
- Annual monitoring reports identify the success of authorities in delivering the outcomes promised in their local development frameworks.
- Local development orders enable local authorities to dispense with detailed consents for developments.
- An urban design coding approach using local development orders is being piloted with some authorities and developers to increase community buy-in to major developments, to deliver high quality design and to streamline the development control process.
