HL Deb 17 November 2003 vol 654 cc246-7WA
Lord Taylor of Warwick

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why, in order to speed up the property planning process, they will not replace the existing negotiated system with a tariff system. [HL5465]

Lord Rooker

The Government published a consultation documentContributing to sustainable communities: a new approach to planning obligations on Thursday 6 November proposing a two-fold approach to the reform of planning obligations: first, a new policy to improve negotiated planning obligations; and secondly, legislation to enable the Government to establish a new optional planning charge, as an alternative to negotiated planning obligations.

The proposed optional planning charge would give developers the option to pay a charge, set in advance by the local authority, instead of entering into negotiations. It would offer developers the benefits of speed and certainty. Equally, developers would still have the option of negotiating, if they preferred to do so. So our proposals offer developers more flexibility and choice.