UPDATE January 2010
The Planning Officers Society
E-Bulletin for POS Members January 2010
2 Development Management Latest
3 Breaking News ....
1 SPATIAL PLANNING LATEST
PPS12 and Plan Making
The CLG Plan making manual accompanies the revised PPS12. The manual brings together council experience, useful advice and guidance in producing local development frameworks. Content is regularly refreshed; for example it features recently published new content on Sustainability Appraisals, and there is also a government line on Infrastructure Planning. To read more go to
www.pas.gov.uk/planmakingmanual
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Revised PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth
The Government has published new advice for planners which combines town centre and economic development policy into a single, streamlined document, replacing previous guidelines and cutting guidance from 137 pages to 32. The revised policy advice in PPS4 has retained the "sequential test" which requires that most central town centre sites should be developed first for shops, leisure and offices, rather than out-of-town sites.
CLG has also introduced what it argues is a tougher "impact test" replacing the "needs test" which ministers say had become "dysfunctional". Under the new test development which might harm town centres will be assessed against key factors including climate change, impact on the high street, consumer choice, consumer spending and jobs.
The "competition test", recommended by the Competition Commission following its probe into grocery shopping, is not included in PPS 4.
To read the PPS in full go to http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/planningpolicystatement4
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