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Government to abolish Regional Spatial Strategies
03-Jun-2010
South Northamptonshire Council, along with all planning authorities, has received a letter from The Rt Hon Eric Pickles, MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. It confirms the Government’s intention to abolish Regional Spatial Strategies.
This means that future decisions on planning applications for new housing supply will rest with councils, without taking account of the current national framework which dictates regional plans and housing numbers.
The Minster intends to make a further announcement soon, to provide details on the implications of this decision. In the meantime, his letter outlines that he expects Local Planning Authorities to have regard to these changes in any decisions that they are taking.
Steven Shuttleworth, South Northamptonshire Council’s Director of Service Delivery and Head of Planning, said: “This announcement means that there is considerable uncertainty about the basis on which councils should decide planning applications, until the further guidance is announced. We expect this to be available in the next few weeks.
“Until this guidance is available we have decided that, with immediate effect, it is sensible to delay decisions on some types of planning applications, such as large scale developments in our villages. This decision means that some planning applications that were due to be decided at today’s (3 June) Development Control Committee will now be taken off the agenda. ”
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