Planning grant study show performance improvements

Date published: 14/09/2006

Local Authority delivery of planning services continues to improve according to the latest evaluation of the Planning Delivery Grant (PDG) published by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG).

The DCLG grant, valued at £155m for 2005/06, seeks to stimulate local planning authorities to process applications as swiftly and effectively as possible.

Spending patterns show that the PDG is being used more and more to help in the creation of Local Development Frameworks and to improve the quality of the whole planning service, including customer satisfaction. The funding is being used to invest in IT and staff across the country and there has been a high retention rate of the grants both in local planning authorities (94 per cent) and in county councils (91 per cent).

DCLG minister Angela Smith said: "It is excellent to see so many planning departments making full and effective use of the PDG. The funding is helping councils and local authorities across the country to invest in staff and IT, raising standards in the quality of service offered as well as the speed of delivery.

"I would like to assure local authorities, businesses and other users of the planning system that we are listening to their concerns and that we are taking note of where and why services get better. By working together, we can ensure that the PDG will continue to offer benefits and improvements to the planning system".

Also published today is a study which provides an insight on the private sector’s view of the grant’s impact and of the planning system as a whole. It shows that business feels that local planning authorities have made improvements in the processing of planning applications, but also highlights areas where further work should be undertaken.

The introduction next year of the Standard Application Form and revised guidance on how to validate planning applications will help to bring more clarity to the process. DCLG is also preparing a more developed survey of the private sector for next year.