04 Nov 2013, 2:52 pm
This will allow developers to apply directly to the Planning Inspectorate which ministers believe would result in quicker and cheaper decisions. It is anticipated that whilst no minimum threshold will apply the government does not expect to deal with schemes of less than 430,000 square foot.
The scheme does not extend to housing or retail schemes.
"For the purpose of economic growth we need these decisions to be made quickly and not gummed up for lack of resource in a local authority planning department," said planning minister Nick Boles. "While it is perfectly reasonable to expect local authorities to cope in a timely way with housing developments, it is not reasonable to expect them to cope with these very big rare projects, but the Planning Inspectorate has the resources to do so."
The proposals have been welcomed by industry experts who believe that a clear planning process overseen by an independent body will benefit developers.
However, planning experts have also cautioned the proposals. Savills head of planning and regeneration Roger Hepher has warned developers that there is no option of appeal when using the nationally significant planning route.
