Government issues reminder to local planning authorities on accommodation for looked after children

Housing and Planning Minister, Rachel Maclean, has said local planning authorities should consider whether it is appropriate to include accommodation for children in need of social services care in the council's assessment of housing need.

In a joint ministerial statement with the Secretary of State for Education published today, Maclean said the reminder is part of the Government's commitment to "support the development of accommodation for looked after children, and its delivery through the planning system".

She stated that the planning system "should not be a barrier" to providing homes for the most vulnerable children in society.

To avoid this, she emphasised the provision set out in paragraph 62 of the NPPF, which notes that local planning authorities should assess the size, type and tenure of housing needed for different groups in the community and reflect this in planning policies and decisions.

Paragraph 62 says the different groups include but are not limited to "those who require affordable housing, families with children, older people, students, people with disabilities, service families, travellers, people who rent their homes and people wishing to commission or build their own homes".

In her statement, Maclean said councils should consider whether it is appropriate to include accommodation for children in need of social services as part of the NPPF assessment.

"Local planning authorities should give due weight to and be supportive of applications, where appropriate, for all types of accommodation for looked after children in their area that reflect local needs and all parties in the development process should work together closely to facilitate the timely delivery of such vital accommodation for children across the country," Maclean added.

"It is important that prospective applicants talk to local planning authorities about whether their service is needed in that locality, using the location assessment (a regulatory requirement and part of the Ofsted registration process set out in paragraph 15.1 of the Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations) to demonstrate this."

She said unitary authorities should work with commissioners to assess local need and closely engage to support applications, where appropriate, for accommodation for looked-after children as part of the authority's statutory duties for looked after children.

In two-tier authorities, she stated that the Government expects local planning authorities to support the developments where appropriate, to ensure that children in need of accommodation are provided for in their communities.

The ministerial statement comes a month after new research suggested that one in five children in care are being placed “more than 20 miles from their local area”, and that it has seen cases of children being placed 500 miles away.

In a statement responding to the research, the Department for Education said it was investing £259m to create more placements for children in high-quality and safe homes, while developing a new model for care placements to keep more children close to home networks.

Commenting on children's homes developments, Maclean's statement added: "Planning permission will not be required in all cases of development of children's homes, including for changes of use from dwelling houses in Class C3 of the Use Classes Order 1987 where the children's home remains within Class C3 or there is no material change of use to Class C2.

"An application to the local planning authority can be made for a lawful development certificate to confirm whether, on the facts of the case, the specific use is or would be lawful. Where a Certificate is issued, a planning application would not be required for the matters specified in the certificate."

Adam Carey