Regeneration QUANGO English Partnerships has been given new powers to step in and sort out large-scale planning applications in the Communities Plan growth areas.

If successful, it will be expanded to cover the rest of the country.

The move is part of a government consultation launched this week on a planning advisory service that would help councils on planning decisions. The consultation is being run by the Improvement and Development Agency and will run until 4 June.

The ODPM will fund EP to provide an advisory panel for councils on large applications. The quango will get a major role in large schemes even when it is not the landowner.

Trevor Beattie, EP's corporate director of strategy, said: "It's a vote of confidence in the organisation."

EP will start recruiting four planners to staff the service in the next month. Its launch is expected in the summer.

Source

Housing Today