Majority of planning authorities don't have an up-to-date local plan

A report by the Countryside Charity, CPRE (Campaign to Protect Rural England), has found that the majority of local planning authorities are relying on out-dated local plans, while 10% of authorities have not adopted a local plan at all. 

Local plans are prepared by the local planning authority and are required by both the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), the latter of which states that the planning system should be genuinely plan-led. These local plans should provide a positive vision for each area's future development and a framework for addressing housing needs and other social, economic and environmental priorities.

The CPRE's report, 'What's the Plan?' assessed local plans across England to challenge whether the planning system is actually being plan-led. They found 90% of local planning authorities have adopted a local plan but:

• only 40% of these plans have been updated or reviewed in the last five years;
• over 80% of local planning authorities will need to review an existing plan or adopt a new one, to meet the Government's aim that local plans must be adopted or up-to-date by December 2023; and
• only 30% of local plans could be considered up-to-date if the definition used was that the council could demonstrate it has sufficient land identified in their plan for five years worth of housing developments.

Head of land use and planning at CPRE, Matt Thomson, commented on the findings: ''This is concerning, as local plans are essential to delivering high-quality and genuinely livable areas. Done well, local plans provide a vision for residents and investors alike. They also protect and enhance areas of countryside that are critical for our health and wellbeing, provide a haven for nature and are an asset in tackling the climate emergency.''

''Having an out-of-date plan risks losing local discretion over development proposals, so there's already a massive pressure on councils. To turn this around, the Government needs to give councils more support and consider how to redefine the test for plans being up to date in order to reinvigorate democratically accountable, locally led planning.''

The report set out a number of recommendations to support local authorities and the Government in their move towards 2023 targets to gave a genuinely plan-led system. They suggest that the Government should:

• monitor and publish annually a summary of local plan coverage across England;
• monitor local planning authorities' housing land supply positions and consider improving the policy's practicability;
• produce guidance for local planning authorities on how to review and update local plans;
• work more closely with local planning authorities to learn lessons and provide support for the barriers faced in plan, preparation and adoption;
• help simplify the landscape by providing a clear structure of statutory plan documents across England.