Regional planning is on its way out.  The Third Heathrow Runway is dead before take-off.  And now, coming soon to a community hall near you…

A week on from the start of the new Government, a direction is being established, first by David Cameron and then by Nick Clegg. Setting aside the rhetoric of Big Bang and Big Society (and passing on the opportunity for low jokes about how these might be connected), we have been given three major steps to reform. The key effects on planning and development will arise from the redistribution of power away from the centre. To quote Nick Clegg: “rest assured, you will get more control over the hospitals you use; the schools you send your children to; and the homes that are built in your community.”

There is however – and not surprisingly so early on – a complete lack of detail surrounding how these objectives will be achieved.  It will still be a while before a clear picture emerges of how the planning system will change to accommodate the objectives.

We shouldn’t forget that planning isn’t just about a democratic process – it has to have a purpose and surely that purpose must include securing the delivery of new homes and the development of new business premises, leisure outlets and essential infrastructure that we all need – in a timely and sustainable manner.  The charge towards much greater local decision-making is on – there are rumours of a new Bill covering planning, housing and local government in this calendar year – and the principle of decentralisation of power is a ‘done deal’ in the Coalition Government.  Our legislators must however tackle how that is put into effect whilst still enabling our private sector economy to deliver the homes, jobs and services that we need as a society – all the more so if public finance limits other options.

And this isn’t all about housing.  There are some ideas about how communities will be provided with financial incentives to deliver housing – but I’ve seen nothing yet about the encouragement to deliver new business premises.  Reform of the processes must surely include some consideration of returning finance raised from business rates direct to the local communities and, indeed, helping businesses themselves to become an important part of those communities.

There is a great deal of detail to be considered across a wide spectrum of issues but don’t spend time asking whether or not we should be decentralising power.  Instead let’s spend our collective energies on addressing how it can be made to work for the good of the many rather than the few.

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Ian Tant is a senior planning partner at Barton Willmore

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