Planning reform cannot come soon enough

Two years on, our Alphington application still awaits determination

Last week’s Budget included a clear signal that the Government recognises the urgent need to fix the UK’s overstretched planning system. A further £48 million has been allocated to boost capacity, including funding for 350 new planners in England through an expanded Pathways to Planning Graduate Scheme and a new Planning Careers Hub designed to support and retain mid-career professionals.

For those of us working tirelessly to bring forward high-quality, sustainable development, these reforms cannot come soon enough.

At Westcountry Land, we have experienced first-hand the consequences of an under-resourced system. Our planning application for Alphington, Exeter has now been with Teignbridge District Council for two years. We were originally advised that the application would be progressed promptly. Yet the determination process has continued far beyond that timescale, and progress has been slow despite this being an allocated site!

This delay has real-world impacts.

The CIL rate in Teignbridge for the South West Exeter Urban Expansion is exceptionally high, and while there is discussion about abolishing CIL on apartment buildings, the long timeframe of this application means viability has become increasingly strained. Because CIL is index-linked, the longer an application sits unresolved, the more pressure is placed on delivering a feasible and policy-compliant scheme.

We are left asking a reasonable question: Is there an incentive for delays when rising indexation makes the development harder to deliver?

Westcountry Land remains committed to building much-needed homes and delivering positive outcomes for local communities. But the current system is making that harder, not easier. If the Government’s new funding and recruitment targets succeed in reducing bottlenecks and increasing accountability, it will be a welcome and overdue change.

For the sake of land promoters, developers, local authorities, and – most importantly – the people who need homes, we hope that yesterday’s Budget marks the start of meaningful, practical improvement.