Jonathan Parker, development director at Pagabo

Jonathan Parker, development director at Pagabo, said: “There’s clear ambition with the new NPPF with increased housing targets and supercharging the planning system to promote growth. A key thing is that planning is about placemaking. Homes are part of a bigger equation, and so viability of any site – brownfield, greybelt or otherwise – remains a central pillar to getting this placemaking piece right on all sides. Partnership approaches between developers and local authorities has always been the recommended solution to really empower transformational development that is viable and works for everyone – a point echoed again and again at a recent investment event hosted by our team in Birmingham.

“However, if the viability guidance on this isn’t expected until the Spring, there’s a clear risk of progress being stunted in the short-term. Especially with the viability gap tending to be bigger around affordable housing, and new approaches to how its provision will come forward based on more localised needs under the new NPPF, it’s hard to see how effective appraisals can be run until that guidance is in place, which will likely cause delays in bringing sites forward.

“£100m has been earmarked to go into supporting and increasing the capacity of the planning system, and we already knew that more planning officers will form part of that. They may make small gains here and there, but we’ll be watching with interest on how the investment improves processes and behaviours that will make real progress. After all, if it’s not done in a strategic way – such as more junior planners looking at private home extensions, and more senior and experience planners taking on the big placemaking tasks – then it’s just a very large pack of sticking plasters.

“Adding in another layer for many to navigate with incoming procurement reform, it’s set to be a really busy and potentially confusing start to the year, so it’s absolutely vital we make sure the first steps do go down the road that leads to successfully delivering on the government’s targets. Our Developer Led Framework is there to unpick the challenges and build those meaningful partnerships between local authorities and the right developers to deliver on joint visions – and in both the short and long-term, we’ll be helping all parties navigate the amendments covered in the new NPPF to propel the placemaking mission into the future.”

For more information, please visit www.pagabo.co.uk