Planning Performance Agreement Charter

Introduction from Lorna Carver, Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Place and Communities

Central Bedfordshire Council is proud of its pro-active stance in developing a planning framework which encourages sustainable growth and investment to provide for the needs of existing and future residents and businesses.

We have already effectively implemented Planning Performance Agreements with the development industry for a number of years which has enabled the successful project management and delivery of several very major development schemes. Planning Performance Agreements are a tool advocated by the Government and provide an enhanced service for developers which creates a ‘project team’ approach helping to reduce delays and conflicting advice as well as increasing certainty.

This Planning Performance Agreement Charter sets out the Council’s commitment to collaborative joint working with developers and clarifies what this means in practice. We anticipate considerable advantages in developing this approach further and will work with all parties concerned to maximise the benefits that will result.

A Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) is a framework agreed between a local planning authority and a developer or site promoter for the project management of complex development proposals within the planning process. The PPA allows both the developer and the local planning authority to agree a project plan and programme which will include the appropriate resources necessary to determine the planning application or pre-application masterplanning within a defined timetable.

Richard Howe, Managing Director, Marshall Group Property

By engaging through the PPA, we were able to secure timely input from all the relevant Officers on this complex and unusual application, culminating in a prompt committee decision. From the first discussions, we found Central Bedfordshire Council officers to be approachable, responsive and clear about their expectations through the planning process.

Aims of the charter

Central Bedfordshire council has embraced the growth agenda and is committed to encouraging new investment and community development. We want to ensure that major planning applications are dealt with in a timely and effective way.

We recognise that the successful delivery of strategic developments, key infrastructure and major commercial projects requires good communications with developers, the community and other agencies.

This can reduce delays, conflicting advice and increase certainty. We will work in partnership with the development industry and communities enabling us to work more efficiently and transparently. We anticipate great benefits in jointly using, with the development industry, the principles of ‘planning performance agreements’, as advocated by the Department of Communities and Local Government.

Developments qualifying for this approach

Developments that qualify for this approach would generally fall within the category of large-scale major applications or significant developments, which are unique, complex schemes and are defined as follows:

• residential: Where the number of residential units proposed is 200 or more. If numbers of dwellings are unknown, a site area of four hectares or greater will be considered a large-scale major application.
• non-residential: For all other uses, a large-scale major application is where the floor space proposed is 10,000 square metres or more, or if the floor space is unknown the site area is over 2 hectares.

Not all developments that fall within these criteria are necessarily suitable for planning performance agreements. Equally, other developments may also be suitable for the PPA approach which are major developments (10-199 houses) and are:

• individual developments and development programmes of major strategic importance to Central Bedfordshire in terms of housing delivery, job creation or investment
• individual developments which may raise significant issues needing environmental assessment, or relating to conservation of the built environment and/or urban design or heritage
• developments which are a corporate priority which may have a wider council involvement
• developments eligible for large scale time-limited public funding and private finance initiative developments or programmes
• individual development parcels of larger strategic sites to ensure consistency and timely delivery of the wider scheme and any associated infrastructure

Benefits

There are many benefits and advantages of a PPA between the council and an applicant, including:

• better overall management of advice and post-application stages
• identification of key issues at an early stage
• more realistic and predictable timetables
• greater accountability and transparency
• improved partnership working
• dedicated time to your project to an agreed level
• continuity and consistency in the council’s team and access to a diverse range of built and natural environment professionals within the council that can provide advice

It should be noted that the PPA agreement and the process of PPAs is in no way prejudicing or pre-judging the outcome of the application, the council’s impartiality or its discretion as local planning authority.

Community engagement

As part of its pledge to community engagement and consultation, the council is committed to consulting and listening to the views of local residents and businesses to inform its decisions so they have a meaningful opportunity to influence the development of Central Bedfordshire. The type of consultation that is appropriate before applications are made will vary depending upon the scheme and will be agreed via the PPA within a Consultation Strategy but could include public exhibitions and meetings, surveys of opinion and consultation with other key local groups. The council will expect the developer to carry out the consultation (in accordance with the council’s Statement of Community Involvement) but can provide advice on the most appropriate methods for doing so and the groups they may wish to consult.