Major changes impending to rules around building houses is bringing “only uncertainty” to local councils according to a senior officer.
The remarks were made during a Knowsley Council meeting to discuss how the government’s Levelling Up Bill, which is currently passing through parliament, could impact the borough.
Large tracts of the Bill include changes to planning rules with potential ramifications for the amount of money councils can collect from developers building in their boroughs.
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Discussing the potential changes at a scrutiny committee meeting held at Huyton municipal building tonight (October 11) Knowsley council’s group manager Kevin Foster said one major issue was the possible removal of developer contributions, known as Section 106 agreements.
Knowsley Council has been collecting and secured millions of pounds in Section 106 agreements from developers in recent years due to a boom in housebuilding in the borough. A recent report outlined how key infrastructure was being funded by the contributions.
Under the planned changes section 106 would instead be replaced with an “infrastructure levy” – although details of how this could be worked out are “not yet available” according to officers.
Other changes the Bill would bring about include removing several key considerations from Local Plans, including around heritage, noise, air quality and the green belt.
Local Plans are used by local authorities to tailor planning regulations to the needs of a local area. Mr Foster said there were concerns the removal of some of these areas “could make discussions with applicants more difficult given the lack of focus on local matters.”
There could also be a streamlining and digitisation of some aspects of the planning process and the timeline and renewal of local plans could also change.
Other key changes could include replacing neighbourhood plans with “priority statements” and the introduction of a borough-wide design code, which would replace masterplans for small areas, such as have been used with the recent Halsnead and East of Halewood developments in the borough.
Compulsory engagements for some developments could be brought into force and targets around house building would be removed.
Street votes are also possible changes that could take place, meaning local residents get a vote in whether to allow certain low level planning applications based on a design code that has been drawn up by residents.
While some aspects could be “very welcome” according to Mr Foster, including an increase in planning fees, other aspects could be more problematic.
Mr Foster said the detail for many of the changes have yet to be worked out, with the overriding principle being that “the only certainty at the moment is uncertainty” especially with the recent government changes and a shift in priorities.
Councillor Crispin Evans asked whether the introduction of a borough wide design code could make it easier to insist on elements to new developments that take account of the climate emergency.
Mr Foster said this was probably unlikely to be the case although the council would look to encourage sustainable development in other ways.
Cllr Evans asked if the changes could make it more difficult for Knowsley Council to keep restrictions on town centre uses, referencing the council’s recent move to restrict the number of betting shops and takeaways in the borough’s town centres.
Mr Foster replied that the likely impact on such measures was unknown at this stage, adding “I feel like I’m saying this a lot at the moment.”
Cllr Steve Smith asked about street votes and how that could work in practice. Mr Foster said: “Without sounding like broken record it is rather scant on detail at the moment” but that he was hopeful more information would come out as the Bill worked through parliament.
Cllr Smith also asked whether he thought the council would end up “taking the hit” on section 106 payments with the introduction of a new levy instead. Mr Foster said it was likely that Knowsley would have to make a “financial case” for developer contributions whereas currently negotiations occur with developers on a case by case basis.
He added that while a lack of information made it difficult to analyse the potential impact, there was a concern that the change could “reduce the scope of some contributions and it may means some sites aren’t viable to secure contributions. it could be a difficult thing going forward.
“We just don’t know the detail at the moment.”
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