No big change on rules

Hopes that new national planning rules would help protect the countryside from housing development look to be groundless.

Councillors this week heard that crucial areas on planning regulation, which currently give no protection against speculative development have not been altered by the National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4).

Four years in the making, many councillors in West lothian had pinned their hopes that the major overhaul of the planning laws would bring simplicity and clarity to regulation, which too often seems to favour developers and offers no support to councils or communities trying to protect their environments.

Steve lovell, principal planner, delivered a report on NPF4 and said the document was intended to guide development and set out national planning policies.

Council leader lawrence Fitzpatrick asked:“many people were concerned about developers coming in applying for designated countryside sites or greenbelt, which were not designated for development in the local development plan. Does NPF 4 protect these sites?

mr lovell explained it probably always was that developers can apply to build on any sites.

Cllr Fitzpatrick asked if councils had rejected proposals would the new framework stop developers going to appeal .

mr lovell added:“the position regarding appeals has not changed.”

Cllr Fitzpatrick then asked if promised third party rights of appeal such as by communities or community councils against decisions had changed.

mr lovell said this had been discussed by the right at the start of the debate on NPF4 but had not made it to the implementation of the new framework.

Depute council leader Cllr Kirsteen Sullivan asked if NPF4 would do anything to facilitate greater consistency in decisions made by DPea reporters, given the wildly different interpretations on appeals made across the county.

mr lovell added:“the short answer is no. NPF4 doesn’t have much to say on appeals.”