The group will review the large amount of existing guidance supporting the implementation of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and make recommendations on how to reduce the amount of guidance and make it usable and accessible. It will not consider any changes to the policy itself.
"The aim is to enable the production of an accessible and more effective set of practice guidance, dramatically reducing the existing guidance, and ensuring that new guidance supports effective planning," the DCLG said in a statement.
The group will focus on guidance produced by the DCLG itself or produced jointly with other Government departments or agencies. The group has been asked to make recommendations about the scope and form of practice guidance that should be provided in future by Government to support effective planning; what new or updated practice guidance should be published, with clear priorities, and what guidance should be cancelled. The group has also been asked to consider how to encourage the planning sector to produce appropriate guidance.
In addition to chair Lord Taylor, the group of practitioners comprises Royal Society for the Protection of Birds head of planning Simon Marsh; Home Builders Federation planning director Andrew Whitaker; Royal Town Planning Institute chief executive Trudi Elliott, and Cheshire West and Chester Council leader Mike Jones.
Initial recommendations are expected to be made in time for the Government's Autumn Statement. These will include recommendations on which practice guidance should be prepared as a priority; an initial list of extant DCLG guidance which could be immediately cancelled and a recommendation as to a timetable for completion of the work on the remaining guidance.
The drafting of the revised guidance will be done internally by the DCLG.
