Taylor review: present planning guidance 'not fit for purpose'

21 December

A review into government planning guidance has recommended that all 7,000 pages of it should be replaced with a single 'online resource' that is 'actively managed' and updated annually.

The report outlined ways to reduce the amount of planning guidance along with gaps and areas for improvement in the current suite of planning guidance documents. RTPI says there is " A proliferation of guidance from a wide span of decades serves no-one's purposes and brings planning into disrepute by association. We welcome the concept of a chief planner as gatekeeper to a single fit-for-purpose guidance portal."

National Housing Federation has also welcomed the review that would "enable England to have a simpler, speedier and more positive planning system..... the scale of the existing guidance, much of which is out of date, is confusing for developers, local authorities and the public. Simplifying and putting it online together with examples of best practice will make it easier to find and understand and will save time. ... We support the panel's call to prioritise housing market and land assessments, and to update environmental guidance. This is critical in ensuring we get the homes we need, and not at the expense of the environment".