Page 21 - Yearbook 2020

DEVELOPMENT & REGENERATION
In conversation with Yohanna Weber
Yohanna Weber, Partner, describes how “two major policy moves by the Government have sent waves through all parts of the regeneration sector – and left us scratching our heads at what the future holds for strategic land schemes and local plan-making.” The rst, the Government’s ‘Planning for the Future’ White Paper, released in August 2020. The second, the reforms to the Use Classes Order 1987, which came into effect on 1 September 2020.
Both promise to continue occupying us all well in to 2021, Yohanna cautions. “The Planning White Paper proposes yet another comprehensive package of reforms to modernise the planning process, improve design and sustainability, reform developer contributions and ensure more land is available for development where it is needed. The Use Classes Order, amongst other things, modernises the classes of use under planning law by combining the previously separate uses of shops, nancial and professional services, cafes, restaurants, of ces, research and development processes, industrial processes, clinics, health centres, nurseries and day centres into a single, super use class E.”
So, what practical implications do these reforms have? According to Yohanna, “the interface between them strikes at the very heart of the purpose of local plan-making,
which is to de ne a clear, locally-relevant spatial vision for the area. Safeguarding areas for town centre use, or out- of-town for industrial use, for example is going to be a lot more dif cult when no planning permission is required to change between all uses that now come within use class E. Both local authorities and developers alike are going to need far more articulated visions for their local plans and regeneration projects at the very outset and build more detailed designations into planning permissions as early as possible. This will have impacts on the viability and deliverability of schemes and, possible, the ability to secure funding at earlier stages of a project.”
The conclusion? “Like any new great powers comes great responsibility. The potential for far more dynamic high streets and more creative delivery of housing is there – but if the White Paper reforms come into law it will require an entirely new approach to master-planning and delivery of strategic schemes by all involved.”
planning policies, with