The Government is poised to make further reforms to planning laws which would see planning applications automatically approved if councils “fail to discharge a condition in time”. The draft Bill, to be presented in April, is also likely to introduce measures to “reduce the administration” involved in cases which need an Environmental Impact Assessment, and simplify listed building consent. Head of Policy at the Royal Town Planning Institute, Richard Blyth, argued that such a move would be a “very blunt instrument” as it will be difficult for local opinion to be reflected in developments, further claiming that the move was a “nuclear option”.
