Planning Inspectorate Newsletter - Issue 3
The Local Development Frameworks Delivery Strategy
The new Local Development Frameworks (LDF) system in England poses significant challenges for all involved in planning. For the Planning Inspectorate (PINS) the challenge primarily relates to carrying out the new style examinations quickly and efficiently and producing sound binding reports.
The LDF delivery strategy devised by the Planning Inspectorate has three main objectives.
- To enable the Inspectorate to develop processes for managing the demands of the system.
- To ensure conformity of approach for Inspectors to deliver consistent and robust decision making.
- To develop professional expertise to support the Government’s sustainable communities agenda.
To meet these objectives a number of initiatives have been put in place:
- A team of Inspectors with considerable development plan experience has been set up to collectively agree on the approach to be taken to differing issues arising under the examination process. This LDF Delivery Group will also be responsible for developing good practice guidance issued by the Inspectorate.
- PINS is actively involved with a variety of stakeholders in a number of LDF projects including the Local Government Association LDF Taskforce, the Planning Officers Society Enterprises LDF Learning and Dissemination Project, the Planning Officers Society Development Plan and Policy Topic Group and the Planning Advisory Service Implementation of the New System Group
- Inspector Managers and the Director of Policy took part in the series of nine regional LDF events held by the Planning Advisory Service.
- Inspector Managers and the Director of Policy take every opportunity to speak at LDF seminars and conferences arranged by the private and public sectors and by professional bodies whose members have an interest in the new system.
- Advisory visits are held on request on a 1:1 basis with local planning authorities coming forward with DPD examinations in the near future. Experience from these is fed back to the LDF Delivery Group.
- Within Regional Government Offices the Planning Inspectorate organised a series of Programme Officer training courses for local authority staff.
- An Issues and Actions Log has been started based on collectively agreed approached to examinations. Learning from this will be shared with partner organisations including the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, Regional Government Offices, the Planning Advisory Service and the Planning Officers Society. A “lessons learned” report on the Inspectorate's experience of the early examinations is to be produced in the Autumn.
- A development plans frequently asked questions section has been added to the Planning Inspectorate website
- A three-day intensive training event for Inspectors was undertaken at Warwick in the early spring. The focus of this was on the LDF system with hands-on learning through the extensive use of workshops and mock examinations. External contributors included members of the Planning and Environment Bar Association, private sector developers, local authority planners and DCLG staff.
The Inspectorate is very aware of how great the culture change needs to be if the new system is to be successfully implemented. We are also very conscious of the fact that we are all learning about the new system. All our efforts are being directed towards learning from early experience with a view to making the new system successful.
Keith Holland BA(Hons) DipTP MRTPI ARICS
Inspector Manager
