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Shropshire Property Owners Facing more Planning Hurdles
July 18, 2011
Property owners in Shropshire are facing even more hurdles when seeking planning permission following the introduction of government legislation and the county council’s core strategy.
That’s the view of Shaun Jones from Halls’ professional department in Shrewsbury who says seeking professional advice may save property owners thousands of pounds in planning costs.
He believes that cost-cutting measures at Shropshire Council has resulted in officers demanding more reports than in the past to support planning applications. The private sector is, in effect, picking up the bill for public service cuts.
“My recent experience with a major development in South Shropshire suggests that the council, following cost-cutting, is requesting even more specialist reports than previously, because resources are not available to address the needs of a particular development,” said Mr Jones.
“Previously, pre-application advice gave a clear indication of the amount of information deemed necessary. Officers are now requiring an elaborate set of reports, but we have recently saved a client more than £3,000 on a single application by challenging the council.
“The public sector is effectively putting the onus on the developer to produce ever more detailed information. I encourage applicants to take professional advice to challenge the local authority, which could save them money and time.”
He quoted the example of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, which has led to stringent rules for the assessment of surface water treatment.
“Even affordable housing applications need an assessment, despite resistance from our profession,” added Mr Jones. “Detailed calculations and porosity tests must be submitted before the application will be acknowledged. Sites on heavy clay soils may need a specific drainage system to be designed.
“Despite the increased bureaucracy, planning consents for various rural business projects are still being granted.”
He said most applicants were now aware that virtually all proposals for new residential accommodation would trigger a payment towards affordable housing provision.
“Introduction of the Community Infrastructure Levy anticipated for early 2012 is another burden,” he added. “We strongly recommend applicants to progress their applications for dwellings as soon as possible.”
Farm and rural businesses wishing to secure consent for a dwelling were facing potential occupancy restrictions on existing dwellings on the same site, he continued, as Shropshire Council had developed policies to cover most scenarios
“Where a farm business has evolved over time to a stage where it is no longer viable, removal of occupancy conditions on dwellings will typically trigger the alternative of an affordable dwelling restriction,” he said. “This is not an attractive proposal and I suspect the situation will evolve. Lateral thinking will be the key to securing the optimum solution.”
Mr Jones can be contacted at Halls, Welsh Bridge, Shrewsbury on Tel: 01743 284777.
