What's New?

We like to keep you informed of changes affecting Planning:

Core Strategy (Preferred Options Report)

The six week public consultation on the Core Strategy Preferred Options Report closed on Monday 12th December.  You can find out more about the next stages of the Core Strategy here.

New Development Management Fees

In 2010 fees were introduced for pre-application planning advice. The charges that were introduced applied only to major applications. The scope for charging for planning advice and services is wider than the adopted scheme. For example charges are not currently made for pre-application advice on minor and other applications or for advice on listed buildings.

The schedule of charges sets out new charges which will be introduced from 1st January 2012 for other planning services.

The Local Government Act 2003 gives planning authorities a discretionary power to charge for giving pre-application advice allowing authorities to recover at least some of these costs incurred before the application is submitted. The Council's planning officers currently devote considerable time and effort to offering pre-application advice, seeing it as a key part of delivering a good planning service, even though it is not a statutory duty.

Many requests for advice, however, are of a speculative nature and do not lead to the submission of an application (when, in most cases a fee is payable). A number of other services, not related to pre-application advice are also provided by Development Management, such as input into drawing up S106 Agreements.

The fee regime be based upon a number of principles:

Any advice given should be clear, unambiguous and realistic in order to either take a development proposal forward or to identify at an early stage that the proposals are unacceptable to the Council

Any advice for which a charge is made would be given promptly, in writing and with the benefits of key inputs from other services where relevant

The onus would be placed upon the developer and his team to provide as full a suite of information as necessary in order to ensure that in giving advice, officers are properly informed about the proposals.

Planning for Renewable Energy

Facts and guidance for small scale renewable energy projects including the requirement for planning permission are now available. This work has been funded through the North West Climate Change Skills Fund. It provides easy to understand information on small scale renewable energy technologies and the planning requirements associated with them.

Bradley Area Action Plan adopted

The first Development Plan Document (DPD) of the Pendle Local Development Framework was adopted by the Council on Thursday 30th June 2011. The Bradley Area Action Plan DPD sets out a number of new planning policies for the 'Bradley Priority Area'; a regeneration area which covers a large part of the Bradley ward in Nelson. The Bradley AAP now forms part of the Statutory Development Plan for Pendle and replaces some of the Local Plan designations in the Bradley area. View a full copy of the Bradley AAP here.

Revocation and Re-instatement of the Regional Spatial Strategy

The status of regional planning has recently changed. On the 6th July 2010 the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government revoked the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the North West. This meant that the RSS no longer formed part of the Statutory Development Plan for Pendle and the policies contained in this document were no longer to be used when determining planning applications or preparing the Local Development Framework.

A ruling in the High Court on the 10th November 2010 found that the revocation of the Regional Spatial Strategies was unlawful. Consequently the Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) have issued a statement which re-establishes the RSS as part of the Development Plan. However, the Secretary of State has emphasised his intention to abolish RSSs as part of the Localism Bill and that Local Planning Authorities should have regard to this intention as a material consideration in any planning decision.

Click here to view the documents that make up the Development Plan for Pendle.