RIBA Calls For Urgent Review Of Permitted Development Rights
Experts at the Royal Institute of British Architects, a professional body for architects primarily in the United Kingdom, but also internationally, founded for the advancement of architecture, are calling for a review of permitted development rights with RIBA president stating that planning freedoms ‘dangerously relaxed’. The architectural community in the UK is echoing this sentiment with some calling the government’s permitted development rights a free-for-all.
Here in the UK, permitted development rights allow certain building works and changes of use to be carried out without having to make a planning application. Permitted development rights, however, are subject to conditions and limitations which have been put in place to control its impacts and to protect local amenity. Still, experts are saying that these conditions and limitations just aren’t enough, especially when it comes to high street development.
What’s At Stake?
The “ongoing obsession” the government has with creating an all new planning method could lead to severe consequences for high street development and a new generation of substandard housing. To add to that, housing secretary Robert Jenrick recently announced new planning rules which will allow the conversion of high street premises into housing without planning permission. Why the ‘free for all’ approach? After all, there must be conditions in place when converting or developing any property. When asked about this, Jenrick said that this new plan would revitalise shopping areas and help to boost the already weakened economy.
When Do The Permitted Development Rights Take Effect?
The big question on everyone’s mind is, ‘When do the permitted development rights take effect?’ The government has stated that, unused commercial buildings will be granted a new right to be converted into homes via a fast-track prior approval from 21 April.
The Voice Of RIBA
In an interview, RIBA president Alan Jones stated: “I’m seriously worried about the government’s ongoing obsession with extending permitted development rights. These new freedoms are dangerously relaxed and lack critical safeguards to prevent further damage to suffering high streets by turning essential community amenities into, all too often, substandard homes. We urgently need well-designed, mixed use developments that provide long term value for their communities and residents, delivered by sufficiently resourced local authorities – not a race to the bottom. I call for urgent reconsideration of this legislation that fundamentally contradicts the government’s wider aim of revitalising town centres and developing better homes. This is not the answer.”
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To learn more about the new permitted development rights, contact Ansell + Bailey today!
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