The amended thresholds would include a requirement for all proposals for more than 150 homes to be screened.
As part of its 'technical consultation on planning' in the late summer of 2014, the government sought views on proposals to increase the screening thresholds, in order to reduce the time and money spent on screening proposed developments that were unlikely to have significant environmental effects.
In a response to the consultation (10-page / 214 KB PDF), published yesterday, the government confirmed that it intended to introduce regulations setting new screening thresholds of five hectares for industrial estate development and for housing developments, and one hectare for other urban development.
The response noted that many participants in the consultation had "referred to the potential for significant environmental effects of residential tower blocks in urban areas" and had recommended a threshold based on the number of homes proposed at a development rather than the area of its footprint. The government said that the proposed threshold for residential developments would, therefore, be altered to exclude "developments which do not exceed five hectares or ... include more than 150 units" from the requirement for screening.
The government acknowledged that, when combined with existing guidance, the proposed 150-home threshold would "enable up to six projects which are just below the threshold to come forward in the same area without exceeding the longstanding indicative threshold". However, it considered that "housing projects of this scale are not likely to give rise to significant air, traffic, noise or visual impacts", the response said.
The government said it intends to lay regulations before Parliament in early 2015 to bring the changes into effect.