The Housing and Planning Bill (Clause 140) proposes to make public, through committee reports, the financial benefits of certain development proposals – as we have commented on before. The report will need to list the benefits whether it is material to the LPA decision or not, and note the LPA’s position on the benefit, these include local finance considerations (as defined by the TCPA 1990 section 70 (inserted by the Localism Act 2011)). CIL payments are included within this description whoever may be the beneficiary, i.e. the LPA as collecting authority for its own levy, or for the Mayor of London.
The Government’s technical consultation on implementation of the planning changes (issued on 18 February 2016, and invites representations by 15 April 2016) sets out that council tax and business rate revenue could also be included within the description ‘other financial benefits’, to be prescribed through regulations. This will require the LPA to liaise with those relevant departments of its Council to ascertain estimates of the likely tax/ rates that will be generated by a development, and whether that is a material consideration to the decision to be made on the application. This could prove difficult where the scheme is in outline and the full details of a development are not yet known, in particular where flexible uses are proposed. New Homes Bonus benefits will also be required to be reported, again further liaison will be required to obtain the appropriate information, the level of funding and determine whether that funding is material.
Most committee reports already include a section on the benefits of a scheme, this would usually include an estimate of any levy charge payable (whether mayoral or its own), as well as section 106 agreement benefits – where a recommendation to grant permission will be subject to the planning agreement being entered into on the basis of the recommendation/ resolution of the committee. The Planning Practice Guidance already encourages authorities to report financial benefits such as New Homes Bonus and CIL, regardless of whether there is no legal basis for treating them as material to planning decisions. Care is needed to do so without creating a ground for legal challenge that would otherwise have not existed.
The solar industry for example has, for a long time, offered community benefits, either in the form of works in kind (i.e. providing panels on a public building) or financial payments (usually for the benefit of projects promoted either in relation to reduction of energy consumption, or more commonly any projects promoted for the benefit of the community). These offers are usually made to parish/ town councils. However, there are a number of instances where payments have been offered, and made, to local schools or other unelected community groups. The proposals in the technical consultation are likely to require these types of benefits to be included in committee reports and judged on whether they are material. These arrangements are usually finalised outside of the planning system, by private deed. This transparency could have opposing impacts – with the relationship between contributions and proposals being tested for materiality, opening routes for criticism and challenge.
