Planning Issues from previous years
On this page we retain details of planning policy issues which the Society has commented on over recent years.
Planning for the Future
We have submitted a detailed response to the Government consultation document. You can read our response here.
It seems that the underlying premise of the While Paper is that an outdated planning system is not fit for purpose and is a primary cause of the failure to build enough homes for a growing population. This is not an entirely fair analysis, as a lack of strategic thinking has also contributed to the housing crisis. The reliance on market forces to entirely solve the shortage of homes has been misguided and has created a dearth of appropriate residences, especially in regard to affordable and social housing.
The Society shares the view that the present planning system is too complex and, therefore, tends to exclude local participation while at the same time allowing developers to build, too often, poor quality designs. Though many of the general objectives of the While Paper are laudable in sentiment, the lack of practical details raise many concerns, especially with regard to the level of local input and in what could result in a very top down system. An overall criticism would be that while identifying problems in the existing planning system the White Paper proposals fall short of coming up with credible solutions in meeting the objectives of a faster, more transparent, simpler, democratic process that will produce affordable high quality build and protect communities’ existing heritage.
We believe that Civic Societies, like that of our own in St Albans, with their local knowledge and pool of expertise can help and support the planning process from the initial development to the planning application stage. Their commitment to creating ‘better places’ make Civic Societies powerful allies both in engaging local communities and insisting on high quality developments.
Local Plan Consultation
The Society responded to the St Albans District Council Local Plan consultation concerning the future development of the City from 2020 to 2036. In our response we recognise the importance of a new Local Plan (LP) which is needed, in order to update the previous LP, drafted in 1994. This is, not only to ensure that the authority’s LP is compatible with latest edition of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), published in July 2018, but also that the District Council will not have to relinquish its control, over planning in the district, to Government, because there has been a failure to produce an approved, up-to-date Plan. You can read our full response here.
A Neighbourhood Plan for the centre of St Albans
What is a Neighbourhood Plan and what is it for? Please think about this – a neighbourhood plan normally lasts for 15 years so this is long term and will affect you.
It is a plan developed by the community for a defined area and it has statutory authority and sets out how developers etc. are required to act. It sits alongside the Local Plan but has more detail for that area. So it can set out policies for a range of aspects – for example, sustainable development, transport, community facilities etc. and deliver real benefits. Deciding on the area is vitally important – not only does it define who can be part of the organisation that decides on the policies etc. and then those who are able to vote whether the plan should be adopted, but it also defines the area in which those policies apply. So, if a very narrow part of the City Centre (for example the BID area) is selected to be the Neighbourhood then not only will those outside the area not be able to vote on the plan but any policies set out in the plan (on transport for example) will only apply in that narrow area.
What area is the Neighbourhood for the City Centre area? That is the 64000 dollar question. In a parished area (such as Harpenden) the defined Neighbourhood Area is the Parish area. A large part of St Albans, including the centre, does not have a parish and for such areas the position is much more complicated. It is necessary to consult and reach agreement on what area should be the neighbourhood area and the council will have responsibility for deciding whether this is appropriate, A Neighbourhood Forum made up only of people living or working in, or councillors for, that area will then be responsible for developing the plan.
So, what do you think should be seen as the City Centre Neighbourhood? Is it a very narrow area or should it be larger and more inclusive? Central council wards is one possibility or maybe Residents’ Associations covering the central area. What else? A Steering Group led by BID (now with a Civic Society representative) is coordinating this activity (under the name of City Centre Vision) and will be organising public meetings so please get involved and feed in your thoughts on what a central neighbourhood for St Albans should be. This is your opportunity to firstly influence the shape of this neighbourhood and then to contribute to the plan itself.
NPPF Consultation
In September 2024 the Government ran a consultation on proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. We submitted a detailed response to the questions which you can see here.
We welcome the opportunity to comment on the proposals for reform and recognise that there is an urgent need both to build more homes and to increase the amount of affordable and social housing. Our main disagreement with the proposals is the insistence on the new “standard method” of calculating housing targets for the highly variable environments of councils throughout the country. St Albans is probably at the extreme of variability as over 81% of the District is Green Belt and it is a commuter town where the majority of residents do not work there. The city itself has about 25% Conservation Area.
Changes to Planning Rules
Just before Christmas 2023 the Government issued a revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). What does this mean for St Albans? Michael Gove, in his Ministerial Statement, emphasised the importance of up to date Local Plans. As we know, St Albans’ Local Plan is the oldest in the country and St Albans was one of the Districts “named and shamed” by Michael Gove because of this. St Albans is in the process of developing a new Local Plan and the increased focus means that it is vitally important to complete this. League tables are also promised to monitor success in delivery against plans.
Does the revised NPPF provide requirements or opportunities to amend the draft plan to reduce the number of new houses required? There are two important changes that may do. Firstly the new guidance makes clear that the “standard method” for assessing local authority need is an advisory starting point and in exceptional circumstances a smaller number may be used. Secondly there is no longer a requirement for local authorities to review or alter Green Belt boundaries if this would be the only way to meet housing need.
The implementation arrangements say that these new policies will apply for the purpose of examining plans, where those plans reach Regulation 19 stage after 19 March 2024. St Albans draft plan has gone through a Regulation 18 consultation and the Regulation 19 consultation is taking place. So it would seem that these new policies will definitely apply for the purpose of examining the St Albans District Plan.
80% of St Albans District is Green Belt which means that in practice, if the numbers produced by the Standard Method are to be planned for, then incursion upon the Green Belt is inevitable, as in the current Draft Plan. So is the extent of the Green Belt an exceptional circumstance that allows St Albans to reduce the number of new housing required? On its face it should be but in practice life is never simple. And is it going to be possible to retain all our Green Belt – where does that leave the generations struggling to find secure and affordable housing?