Planning Update for
Wealden LSP
Thursday 17th November 2011
Roy Little
Planning Link Officer – Eastern Area
South Downs National Park
Authority
1st April 2011
On 1st April the SDNPA became the sole planning
authority for the South Downs National Park:
-responsible for all planning decisions
-responsible for all planning policy
-responsible for LDFs, enforcement, minerals and
waste
Role of the South Downs National Park
Statutory Purposes:
• Conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage
of the area
• Promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of the
park’s special qualities by the public
Authority Duty:
• To seek to foster the economic and social well-being of the communities
within the National Park
Statistics
• Up to 4,000 planning applications a year – other NPAs
about 6,000 in total.
• SDNPA - 8th largest LPA in 2008/9
• Only 61 ‘majors applications in 2008/9
• Includes 15 LPAs in SDNP, (3 Counties, 1 Unitary, and
11 Districts).
Delegation
• The SDNPA is working in partnership with all 15 Local Planning
Authorities to provide planning services for the National Park
from 1st April 2011- ‘delegation’
• Delegation is an Agency Agreement under Section 101 of the
1972 Local Government Act.
• SDNPA will pay LPAs for the planning services you each provide
Delegation
• Agreement to agree’ – currently provides a legal basis
for LPAs to provide planning service for SDNPA from
1/4/11 to 31/3/12
• Section 101 Agreements now largely completed with
all 15 LPAs –to be in place for implementation from 1st
April 2012.
Section101 Agreements - progress so far
•Already signed – 13 LPAs
•Nearly there and good progress - 2 LPAs,
•Still negotiating – All now complete
•The future
•Not continuing after 1/4/12 – Arun DC, Wealden DC and
Eastbourne BC.
Duration and Review of S101 Agreements
• Three year agreement
• Rolling 12 month notice to quit (either party)
• Review at least annually
• Performance framework
How does it work?
All applications are ‘processed’ through the current planning
administration systems of each of the 15 LA’s.
• Validation
• Registration
• Consultation and Publicity
Key documents and correspondence ‘badged’ with joint
SDNPA/WSCC branding
SDNPA applications are identified (weekly lists etc.)
Who Does What : Significance
Most applications (about 97%) continue to be LPA processed and determined under
agency agreements.
SDNPA only determines applications of ‘significance’ to the SDNP
Definition of ‘Significance’
Major / Minor split
Minors (less than 10 dwellings, < 1000 sq.. m commercial floorspace or sites less
than 0.5 Ha) most likely to be delegated to the LPAs.
Majors (10 dwellings, 1000 sq. m commercial floorspace or sites of 0.5 Ha or
more) likely to be for NPA determination, but:
Minor Development which might be significant
• 3 or more dwellings on the edge of a small village or settlement
• Some tourism, leisure and visitor accommodation schemes
• Certain energy (including renewable energy) schemes outside existing
settlements and/or on/close to heritage assets
• Smaller scale infrastructure projects outside existing settlements
• Proposals to alter the operation of some minerals and waste facilities
• Telecommunication proposals with visual impacts on SDNP
• Some proposals for lighting outside existing settlements
• Smaller scale development which may have a cumulative adverse impact on the
SDNP.
Major Developments not likely to be Significant
Major Residential schemes (10 – 29 dwellings) that are proposed
within existing towns and that are considered to have less
significance for National Park purposes.
Major commercial schemes (1,000 – 2,999 square metres floor
space) that are proposed within existing commercial centres within
towns and some smaller settlements and that are considered to have
less significance for National Park purposes.
Call-in Procedures
• “Significant” applications identified as soon as possible by the
Planning Link Officer for the relevant areas of the NP
• Applications can be recovered at almost any stage if they are
‘significant’ – but not just because there’s a strong lobby
• Applications on committee agendas will be identified before the
meeting for call-in to apply, if officers recommendation is
overturned by Committee (but power sparingly applied).
General Enforcement Protocol
•The LA is always first port of call for all enforcement activity
•Current enforcement resources continue to apply
•No prior requirement to consult SDNPA on enforcement matters in
all urgent cases, unless costs (high risks) are possible.
•SDNPA input advice & influence through Link Officers
•SDNPA has limited supplementary enforcement resources
Four Link Officers – Areas currently covered
Hampshire – Hants CC, Winchester and EHDC
Chichester – Chichester DC only
Rest of West Sussex – Horsham, Arun, Adur and Worthing and the
whole of WSCC
East Sussex – Eastbourne, Wealden, Lewes, Brighton and Hove,
Mid-Sussex and East Sussex CC.
Link Officer Role
Interface between LA’s and SDNPA
•Weekly Lists of applications
•Pre-application discussion and enquiries.
•Advice and guidance on SDNPA approach
•Call-in advice and provisions
•Enforcement liaison
•Appeal procedure liaison
•Routine point of contact on other emerging issues
•Wider role to liaise with and attend meetings with Town and Parish Councils’,
Conservation and other heritage groups, agents and other planning users groups.
•Planning Link Officers are effectively planning ambassadors for the SDNPA to provide
and promote the purposes of the National Park
Operating the service
About 40 applications “called-in” by the Summer this year appx –
150 a year?
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Chichester DC (13 cases)
Winchester CC (8 cases)
East Hampshire DC (11 cases)
West Sussex CC (4 cases)
East Sussex CC (1 case).
BHCC – (2 cases)
Horsham (1 case)
Operating the service
‘Reverse’ directions or Authorisations – This direction gives authority to the
LA to determine major applications on behalf or the SDNPA (if not significant).
Three recent examples
•The Grange, Midhurst (replacement Leisure Centre) (CDC scheme within
large town of Midhurst)
•Livestock building for dairy cattle at Crouch Farm, Crouch Lane in Chichester
(no likely impact on SDNP but exceeded 1,000m2)
•A waste water improvement schemes at Lewes
Operating the service
‘Authorisations’ – majors can also subsequently be “called-in” by the SDNPA, if
authorisation is made conditional & not addressed:Red Card – allows the LPA to deal with, but recommendation to Planning
Committee is qualified in that:
If LA planning committee vote against officer recommendation, SDNPA has 3
days to consider if it wishes to recover the app; only 6 cases to date in Eastern
Area and Chichester
Summary
•Partnership working very well with WSCC.
•Key Issues – Visual impact and impact on landscape – must always
be addressed for SDNPA applications!
•Will often influence or determine level of significance.
•Primary duty is to protect this – always ask yourself if the
proposal conserves or enhances the landscape?
•Thank You – Any Questions?