policy writing - saltash.gov.uk · • and if you are unlucky, qcs and judges! ... • no/yes –...

PolicyWritingSomebasicpoints…….

17/11/2016 PlanSupport 1

PolicyWriting

• Planningpolicywritingistechnicalwriting!It’salsoanart!• Thereisnoonerightwaytodoit– eventheproscantagree• Anyone,withalittlebitofthought,candoit!


Whatisaplanningpolicy?• Planningpoliciesprovidethebasisforthedeterminationofplanningapplications.• Theyexistto:

• provideclarityonwhatwillbeexpectedfromadevelopmentproposal(e.g.whereitwillgoandwhatitwilllooklike)

• giveprospectiveinvestors(includingfutureresidents)confidenceinhowtheareawillchangeinthefuture

• ensurethattheimpactofdevelopmentisanticipatedandplannedfor(e.g.byprotectingwildlifesites,requiringopenspace,communityfacilitiesandotheridentifiedinfrastructure)

• Planningpoliciesmustrelatetothedevelopmentanduseofland


UsersofPolicy

• Thinkabouttheenduser:-• DevelopmentManagementOfficers• Councillors• Developers• Agents• Thepublic• Andifyouareunlucky,QCsandJudges!

• Thereforemustbeeasytounderstandbyavarietyofaudiencesandtousewithsomecertainty.


Whatnationalplanningpolicysaysaboutpolicies….“...LocalPlansshouldsetouttheopportunitiesfordevelopmentandclearpoliciesonwhatwillorwillnotbepermittedandwhere.Onlypoliciesthatprovideaclearindicationofhowadecisionmakershouldreacttothedevelopmentproposalshouldbeincludedintheplan.”

NationalPlanningPolicyFramework,paragraph154

Thesameprinciplesapplyforneighbourhoodplanpolicies.


Whatnationalplanningguidancesaysaboutpolicies…“Apolicyinaneighbourhoodplanshouldbeclearandunambiguous.Itshouldbedraftedwithsufficientclaritythatadecisionmakercanapplyitconsistentlyandwithconfidencewhendeterminingplanningapplications.Itshouldbeconcise,preciseandsupportedbyappropriateevidence.Itshouldbedistincttoreflectandrespondtotheuniquecharacteristicsandplanningcontextofthespecificneighbourhoodareaforwhichithasbeenprepared.”

PlanningPracticeGuidance,paragraph41


Goodpoliciesare:• Clear,preciseandpositivelyworded• Supportedbyrobustevidenceandnotjustbasedonlocalopinionorwhim• Capableofhavinganeffectandbeingimplementedwithintheplanperiod• Addresstheissuesinyourarea(theyarelocallydistinctive)• Addvaluetoexistingpolicyframework.


NeighbourhoodPlanPolicies-Threebasicformats• Generic

• generalrequirementswhichapplyacrossthePlanareatoalldevelopments.e.g.,design,character

• Criteriabased• targetedonparticulartypesofdevelopmentsorthemesclearlyidentifyingtherequirementsthatneedtobemetwithindicators.e.g.,housing,employment,designinparticularareas

• Sitespecific• applyingtoparticularareasofland,andindividualorgroupsofsites,oftenreferredtoas‘allocations’.e.g., housing,employment,localgreenspace.

• Mustbeshownonamap.


NeighbourhoodPlanProjectsApieceofworkortaskthat• Assiststhedeliveryoftheneighbourhoodplan,andisimportanttothecommunity,butwillbeachievedthroughadifferentmeansthanwritingaplanningpolicy.

• Actsasasourceofpolicy. Planningpoliciesderivedfromother‘projectsandinterventions’activeinthearea.E.g.aspartofatowncentreregenerationproject.

• Actsasafocusforcommunityaction. SometimesNeighbourhoodPlansstimulatecommunityactivityandnewinitiatives.HavingtheminthePlancankeepaPlan‘alive’inthepublicmind.

o Canincludemanagementarrangements,fundingpackages,jointworkingwithotherorganisations,etc.

o Carrynoparticularstatuso Arenotsubjecttoexaminationorreferendum.


TheGoldenThread• Policiesshouldbesetintocontext

• Visionandobjectives– eachplanningpolicyshouldstemfromaclearvisionforyourneighbourhoodandhelpdeliveratleastoneofyourplan’sobjectives.

• Fitintoaclear‘goldenthread’fromengagementandevidencetovision,aimsandobjectives…throughstrategy…tothepolicies

• Areasonedjustificationforeachpolicy.• Evidence– youcan’tjustincludepoliciesonawhim,theyneedtobebackedupbyrobustevidenceandrootedinthefeedbackfromyourpublicengagement.

• Notarepeatofevidence,butclarityonthechangethatthepolicyintendstoachieveinrelationtothestrategy,

• Explainwhatthepolicyisintendedtoachieve.• Showhowthepolicywillservetheobjective.


VISION

AIMS AIMS AIMS AIMS

OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

POLICY

PROPOSALS PROPOSALS

PROJECTSPROJECTS PROJECTS PROJECTS

NEIGHBOURHOODDEVELOPMENTPLANSTRUCTURE

EVIDENCEBASE– SeewebsiteandsummaryinthisdocumentNPPF - CORNWALLLOCALPLAN- COMMUNITYENGAGEMENT– SOCIAL,ECONOMIC&ENVIRONMENTALDATAETC

Whatcanbecovered?• Development– coveringthingsthatrequireplanningpermissionbydeterminingwhatdevelopmentcantakeplaceandwhere.• Conditionsandobligations– Whichcaninfluencedecisionsonplanningapplicationsandsobeaddressedinyourneighbourhoodplan.Theseare:• Planningconditions– thesearerequirementswhichhavetobemetbytheapplicant.Examplesmightbetheretentionoftreesorlimitinguseofasitetodaylighthours

• Planningobligations– thesearelegalagreementstomakeotherwiseunacceptabledevelopmentacceptable– suchastheprovisionofaffordablehousing,roadimprovements,contributionstoeducationetc

• CommunityInfrastructureLevy– identifyingprioritiesforspend


Whatcan’tbecovered

• NotDevelopment– Initiativeswhichalocalcommunitywishestopursuewhichfalloutsidethelegalmeaningofdevelopment..Youcanincludetheminyourplanasprojects• Developmentwhichis‘Permitteddevelopment’unlessthereisanA4D – e.g.satellitedishes.


Test:Canyourneighbourhoodplan:• Protectansignificanttree?• YES,throughpoliciesforplanningconditions• Providemore1bedroomhomes?• YES– planningpoliciescansethousingmixandrequireaproportionofnewhomestobeaffordable,deliveredthroughas106 agreement.• Improvethelocaltrainservice?• NO– needtolobbytrainoperatingcompany,localMPetc.


• Setupatowncentremanagementnetwork?• NO– butthiscouldbeaProjectsetupthroughyourNeighbourhoodPlan• Introducea20mph zone?• NO/YES– speedlimitsareamatterfortheHighwaysAuthoritybuttrafficmanagementinrelationtonewdevelopmentisforplanningpolicy.• Provideforanewfootpaththroughasitelinkingtothetowncentre?• YES– throughaplanningconditiononanewpermissionforthesite.


• Requirethemaintenanceofopenspaceareas?• YES– ifthespaceisnewandpartofanewdevelopment,butusuallyonlyduringaninitialperiodofestablishment.ArrangementsforlongertermmanagementmightbethesubjectofaBondagreedaspartoftheapprovalprocess.• Provideforanewbusservice?• NO/YES– butitcanenableanewservicebyrequiringlay-bys,passingbays,orsecuringfinancialcontributions.• Provideadditionalpubliccarparking?• YES– throughaS106 agreementadevelopermayagreetoprovidemoretooffsetanimpactofdevelopment


• Generateextrainvestmentinthetowncentrestreet-scene?• YES– towncentreoroutoftownretailingpoliciescouldrequireparticulardesignfeaturesoroff-settinginvestment• Requireanincreasedfrequencyofstreetcleansing?• NO– it’stheresponsibilityoftheCouncilforthat.However,itmightbepossibletoprovideforaplanningconditionrequiringafast-foodoutletto‘litterpatrol’itsownfrontage.• ExtendtheConservationArea?• NO– Itscoveredbyseparatelegislativeprocedures• RemovePermittedDevelopmentRights• NO– onlyandArticle4Directioncandothat.


• Requireimprovementstolocalinfrastructure,suchassewageworks?• YES– ThroughS106 agreements,providingtheyareproportionateandrelatedtothescaleofdevelopmentinvolved.


Phrasing• WriteineverydayEnglish– trytoavoidjargonandsticktocommonsenselanguage

• Precise inapplicationandeffect• Concise• Unambiguous• Abletobeappliedconsistentlyinavarietyofcircumstances• Positive - policiestowelcomedevelopment• Relevant- tothedevelopmentandareainvolved• Deliverable - intheplanperiod• Targeted - Provideindicatorsbywhichdevelopmentcanbejudged(andthepolicymonitored)


‘Words,words,words….’• ‘Should’ - leavesroomforexceptions• ’Must’- useonlywhererequirementsareapplicableinALLcases• ‘Normally’ - impliesvaguenessinapplication• ‘Wherepossible’ - impliesthatpolicycriteriaaren'tseriousrequirements• ‘Presumptionagainst/infavour’- conflictswithgeneralpresumptioninfavourofsustainabledevelopment• ‘Wherepossible’- toolooseunlessaccompaniedwithrequirementtoshowwhysomethingisn'tpossible• ‘Character’- aboutthedistinctivenessofanareatobeprotected,butdoesn’tsaywhatitis,mustbedefinedinthepolicy.


• ‘encouraged’or’supported’- conveypositivity,‘encouragedismoreproactive.• ‘preserve’– literallymeanskeepingthingsexactlyastheyare,sorarelyapplicableinNeighbourhoodPlansastheyareaboutencouragingsustainabledevelopment.• ‘protect’or‘conserve’– usedinterchangeably.‘Conserve’includesintenttocareforaswellastokeepsafefromharm.• ‘contemporary’or‘innovative’– referstomodernstyles ofdevelopment,usuallydismissively.Bettertorefertocriteriathatwouldguidedesignsuchasscaleanddesignofsurroundingdevelopment.• ‘Upto’canbeconfusing….• ‘And’and‘or’- Theabsenceof‘and’attheendofcriteriameanstheycanapplyindividually:Theuseof‘or’meansthatcriteriacanbeusedasalternatives.


‘Words,words,words….’

Targets,informationandfunding• Targetsaregoodtohave,providedtheyarejustified.Notethat‘target’doesn'tmeanmaximuminplanner-speak.• Requiringextrainfotobesubmittedwithplanningapplicationsisallowed,butmustbeproportionate,relevant,necessaryandclearlyspecified.• Fundingrequirementsareallowed,butonlyintermsofS106 andCIL,andcannotsetparticularsums.• ReferencestomaterialelsewhereinthePlanandintheLocalPlanareacceptable,buttheuseofexternaldocumentsascriteriatestsisnotallowed.


SustainableDevelopment• SustainabledevelopmentisacoreprincipleofNeighbourhoodPlanning.• NeighbourhoodPlanpoliciesmusttaketheprinciplesofsustainabledevelopmentandapplythem• Allpoliciesshouldbetestedtoensurethattheydeliversustainabledevelopment - sustainabilityappraisal• Alsocheckthatapolicydoesn’tcontraveneEuropeanorhumanrightslegislation.


Presentation• Clearlyidentifyandseparate• thecontext• reasonedjustification• intendedeffect• thepolicyitself

• Useboldtext,orashadedbox.• Numberobjectivesandplanningpoliciestoshowoffthe‘goldenthread’fromevidence,throughstrategy,objectivestopolicy.• Butdon’tgo‘fontmad’!• MaketheExaminer’slifeeasier!


Howisapolicyassessed?Neighbourhoodplansmustmeeteachofanumberofbasicconditions:• appropriatehavingregardtonationalpoliciesandadvicecontainedinguidanceissuedbytheSecretaryofState• contributestotheachievementofsustainabledevelopment• isingeneralconformitywiththestrategicpoliciescontainedinthedevelopmentplanfortheareaoftheauthority(oranypartofthatarea).• doesnotbreach,andisotherwisecompatiblewith,EUobligations

Havetheseinmindasyoudevelopyourpolicies


Objective

Number

Details Isthereaclearlinkbetweentheobjectiveandevidence?

OpportunitySites Basicconditions(theexaminer’s4

Testsforneighbourhoodplans)

Whatevidencesupportsthisobjective?

Whatdoespublicconsultationshow?

Isthereenoughevidence?

Y/N

Is

more

work

needed

?

Is

the

site

suitable

?

Isthesiteavailable?

Canitbedelivered?

Inlinewithnationalpolicy(NPPF)?

InlinewithstrategicpoliciesoftheLocalPlan?

Contributes

towards

sustainable

development

CompatiblewithEUobligations


SummaryGoodpoliciesare...• WritteninplainEnglish,avoidingjargonandtechnicalplanningtermsifpossible;• Clearandprecise– detailingcircumstancesthatinfluencegrantorrefusalofplanningpermission– orothernecessaryclarification;• Distinguishclearlybetweenthepolicyitselfandthesupportingreasonedjustificationthroughclearpresentation• Supportedbyevidence,notjustlocalopinion• ConsistentwithnationalplanningpolicyandthestrategicobjectivesintheLocalPlanbutdonotreplicate• Writtentocontaintargetsandindicators(wheresensible)toassistmonitoringandreview• Framedinpositivetermswherepossible• Capableofhavinganeffectandbeingimplementedwithintheplanperiod.17/11/2016 PlanSupport 28

Morehelp

• ‘WritingPlanningPolicies’byTonyBurton,publishedbyLocality• ‘Howtowriteplanningpolicies– puttingthepiecestogether’PlanningAidEngland• ‘NeighbourhoodPlanning - Writingpolicies’CornwallCouncil

• availableontheirwebsitesasadownload.


policy writing - saltash.gov.uk · • and if you are unlucky, qcs and judges! ... • no/yes –...

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