Parliament has decided to hold separate inquiries into aspects of the Government’s new-look planning regime. One inquiry will look at the decision to revoke and abolish regional spatial strategies (RSS) and the other will review the Coalition’s localism agenda.
The Commons Communities and Local Government Committee are behind both these moves which will involve oral evidence sessions later this year. The deadline for written submissions to the RSS inquiry is 15 September while the other initiative will accept contributions up to 1 October.
The RSS probe will focus specifically on the implications for house building. On the agenda will be the impact on targets and the pace and rate of housing development as well as the effectiveness of the Government’s proposals to incentivise local communities to accept new housing development.
The all-party committee of MPs will also be considering the arrangements which should be put in place to ensure appropriate co-operation between local planning authorities on matters formerly covered by regional spatial strategies (e.g. waste, minerals, flooding, the natural environment, renewable energy etc).
In addition, the committee will scrutinise proposals already put forward by the Government, including a proposed duty to co-operate and the suggestion that Local Enterprise Partnerships may fulfil a planning function.
The terms of reference for the committee’s localism inquiry will focus on the extent to which decentralisation leads to more effective public service delivery; and what the limits are, or should be, of localism.
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