29.08.13
Simplified planning tool begins testing
New online planning guidance has been launched today, in a six week trial by the DCLG.
The resource aims to get more people involved in local planning and simplify the technical guidance available, which is currently catalogued in 230 separate documents and is 7,000 pages long.
The tool will be test before going live later this autumn. It sets out guidance on affordability testing for housing, helps more communities to start their own plans and offers support for new local green space provision.
Planning minister Nick Boles said: “Planning shouldn’t just be the preserve of technocrats, lawyers and council officers. Yet up to now even the experts have struggled to plough through all the background documents and find the right advice. To be effective our planning system needs to be supported by practical guidance that anyone can consult and follow.
“Having stripped away outdated advice, our new user friendly website brings together a simplified set of clear, concise guidance and publishes it altogether in one place. This will make the planning system much easier to navigate for everyone involved.”
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