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Cornerstone Planning

Government consults on accelerated planning service

The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has launched a consultation on an accelerated planning service, planning performance measures, extensions of time, expedited appeals and section 73B applications.

The measures announced in yesterday’s Spring Budget 2024 and covered by the consultation are to:

  1. introduce a new Accelerated Planning Service for major commercial applications with a decision time in 10 weeks and fee refunds if this is not met;

  2. change the use of extensions of time, including ending their use for householder applications and only allowing one extension of time for other developments, which links to a proposed new performance measure for local planning authority speed of decision-making against statutory time limits;

  3. expand the current simplified written representations appeals process for householder and minor commercial appeals to more appeals; and

  4. implement section 73B for applications to vary planning permissions and the treatment of overlapping permissions.

The consultation, which can be viewed here, closes on 1 May 2024.