Planning Permission Deadlines to Be Extended

New measures to help the construction industry boost building and return to work safely will be introduced this week. This is to help kickstart the economy following restrictive measures introduced to limit the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Planning permission deadlines are to be extended, planning appeals will be sped up and builders will be allowed more flexible working hours, following agreements with local councils. 

Planning permission usually expires after three years if work has not started onsite. Sites with consent that have an expiry date between the start of lockdown and the end of this year will now see their consent extended to the 1st April 2021. This will prevent work that has been temporarily disrupted by the pandemic from stopping altogether.    

The government estimates that by the end of this month alone, more than 400 residential permissions providing more than 24,000 new homes would have expired. The new measures will help these developments and more resume as the economy recovers.

New measure s will also permanently grant the Planning Inspectorate  (PINS)  the ability to use more than one procedure – written representations, hearings and inquiries – at the same time when dealing with a planning appeal, enabling appeals to happen much faster. 

This will also help builders to quickly agree more flexible construction site working hours with their local council for a temporary period. This will make it easier to follow public health guidance onsite and by staggering builders’ arrival times, public transport will be less busy and the risk of infection will be reduced. 

Have you got a project you’re currently working on? We are here to help.

We are a values-driven planning consultancy with a team of chartered planners and a wealth of experience of planning applications.

At ethical partnership we are lucky to be able to work remotely and from home. We are continuing to work on projects whilst monitoring all advice regarding the outbreak. Whilst we are not in the office to monitor our office phone, you can contact us via our email addresses and LinkedIn page. You can also check out our portfolio for examples of our work.

Contact us for more information and how we can help.

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