Need and Impact: Planning for Town Centres

HC 517, Tenth Report of Session 2008-09 - Report, Together with Formal Minutes, Oral and Written Evidence

Author:: House of Commons - Communities and Local Government Committee
Publisher:: TSO (The Stationery Office)

Need and Impact: Planning for Town Centres (HC 517)

The 'need test' has been seen as a bulwark of the Government's 'town centre first' approach to planning policy. The proposal to remove it, arising out of the 2005 Barker review of land-use planning (ISBN 9780118404853), therefore gave rise to significant concern amongst those anxious to protect the vitality and viability of town centres.

Concerns focussed on two issues:

would the removal of the 'need test' lessen the protection of town centres against damaging out-of-centre development?
would the proposed new 'impact assessment framework' improve decision-making in respect of applications for such development?

The evidence heard during this inquiry does not make a persuasive case for the removal of the 'need test'. Its removal from the planning process, particularly in the current economic climate, would present an unacceptable risk to town centres.

The impact assessment framework has the potential to improve the ability of local authorities and their communities to determine the shape of their area and to protect their town centres, but only in the context of the retention of the need test.

Finally the committee underscores a number of concerns identified in the 2008 report 'Planning Matters (HC 517-I)' (ISBN 9780215522184) about the capacity of under-resourced local planning authorities to implement a new planning policy framework.

Extent	84 pages	ISBN	9780215540379
Size	A4	Price	£14.50
Binding	Paperback	Published	25 Jul 2009
Availability	Colour copy: 3 - 5 days	Delivery	Delivery options and charges