New research is published outlining use and benefits of Planning Performance Agreements, and a new practice note and case studies are made available.
Over 95% of English local authorities that responded to a national survey support the idea of Planning Performance Agreements. The findings are published in an evaluation report commissioned by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and ATLAS, prepared by Tribal Group.
Planning Performance Agreements are frameworks to help local planning authorities and planning applicants agree how development proposals should be managed through the planning process.
The research identified a number of clear advantages of using the Agreements. For example 75% of local authorities who responded, and had experience of using them, thought they provided realistic and predictable timetable for applications. Almost half thought they improved the quality of the outcome on the ground.
Other key advantages highlighted by the research include a more streamlined handling of the application, greater transparency and accountability, and overall better management of the planning application process.
The use of Planning Performance Agreements was also more common than expected given previous statistics. A total of 73 local planning authorities indicated they had been involved in preparing a Planning Performance Agreement and an estimated 179 agreements had been prepared at the time of the survey, but this is now likely to be much higher.
The evaluation also highlighted that local authorities and their development partners are applying the concept in a flexible and proportionate manner. For less complex schemes Planning Performance Agreements are being used to identify project teams, key issues and to agree timescales.
However, there remain some barriers to take-up. When asked why they had not used them, 38% of non-users suggested other approaches seemed more helpful and 31% were concerned about the legal and complicated nature of the agreements.
Other barriers included lack of willingness by other parties, lack of resources, and the complexity of the current guidance.
In response, ATLAS has prepared a Practice Note addressing the barriers and explaining how Planning Performance Agreements can work for different types of projects. To illustrate the variety of approaches, a number of case studies have also been prepared.
