Mr. Henk van der Kamp:

We need forward planning and to set out where and how an area should grow spatially in terms of roads and housing. This is done in a county development plan, but more likely through a local area plan, which is already included in current legislation. We suggest strongly that we should provide for more of this in the new planning Bill. In other words, we should have more local area plans and more forward planning for an area before development takes place and even before the pressures arise. We should think about how the area should develop and set that out in writing in a clear plan.
We should also minimise the procedural obstacles afterwards for the implementation of the plan. This is where the development sector comes in. A plan of itself is not the implementation. The implementation happens through developers submitting proposals, coming together and making development contributions which will facilitate the infrastructure. Our institute has observed that some obstacles to development could be removed, for example, in terms of length of planning application procedures, development contribution impediments, phasing and clarity of conditions attached to planning permissions. In other words, we must try to minimise the obstacles. Once a decision has been made in accordance with the plan, the development should go ahead.
We would like to emphasise that there are advantages and benefits for society in adopting a plan-led rather than a development-led approach. A development-led approach is one where the planning system responds to project proposals from developers in an ad hocmanner. This does not necessarily mean it makes bad decisions, but it deals with each application on its own. A plan-led approach lays down a framework for development so that the development sector has certainty and predictability. This does not only apply to housing development, but also to wind energy products, industrial and commercial development, etc. Our planning system provides for much of this already, but there is room for significant improvement in regard to the implementation phase and planning permission.