Pre-application Consultation with Communities

Date: 18/3/2011

Extract:

The Society welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this consultation.

Our membership can point to many good examples of best practice in pre-application discussions involving local communities and we fully support the inclusion of the requirement for developers to consult with local communities prior to submitting certain planning applications as a clause within the Localism Bill.

A proactive approach to community involvement at an early stage is essential for very large developments as they are likely to have a wider impact on a neighbourhood and offer a greater potential to bring positive benefits for the community.  However, it would provide little benefit in terms of the localism agenda to require pre-application consultation only on large scale major schemes as most prospective developers for these types of schemes already engage in such activities without the need for legislation.  

See the response in full

See the Society's good practice advice on pre-application discusions: click here