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Regionally Strategic Planning Applications

The Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) is part of the Development Plan for an area. Planning applications have to be determined in accordance with the Development Plan unless material considerations suggest otherwise.

Because of this, the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced:

mechanisms to help ensure that Development Plan Documents (DPDs) drawn up by local authorities as part of their Local Development Framework (LDF) are in â€˜general conformity' with the RSS; the intention is to ensure that the two strands of the Development Plan for an area (the RSS and DPDs) are mutually supportive and not in conflict.
the Regional Planning Body as a statutory consultee on planning applications likely to affect the implementation of the RSS so that key strategic issues can be drawn to the attention of the local authority before a decision on the application is made.

The RSS has the status of a Development Plan Document and forms part of the framework for decisions taken under section 38 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act (2004). This means that decisions on all applications have to be taken in accordance with the Development Plan unless other material considerations indicate otherwise. The current RSS was issued in May 2008.

The Regional Planning Body is therefore a statutory consultee on all planning applications that could affect the implementation of the RSS. A statutory consultee on planning applications is required to respond to local authorities within 21 days or a deadline agreed in writing with the local authority. Given these timescales, the Joint Regional Board agreed that the Spatial Planning Board's officers (in LGYH) will respond to consultations on applications unless it is a high profile application, in which case officers will agree a response with the Chair and Deputy Chair of the Board.

To help identify the types of strategic applications that it wished to be consulted on, an indicative set of criteria was drawn up in consultation with local authorities and partners and agreed by the Assembly's Regional Planning Board in December 2007. This identified applications that are likely to affect the implementation of the RSS by virtue of a combination of their nature, scale and location. Whilst the set of criteria has not been updated since current RSS was published in May 2008 or reviewed in light of the uncertainty over SNR changes during the last 18 months, it is still a valid set of criteria for local authorities and the Regional Planning Body to use in identifying regionally significant applications.

In commenting on strategic applications, the Regional Planning Body needs to focus on the ways in which the development could affect the achievement of the outcomes of the RSS. This impact could be positive or detrimental. The Regional Planning Body's response should focus on strategic issues and will not provide comment on technical matters that will be covered by other statutory consultees or pick up on local issues that are rightly the jurisdiction of the local authority.

The aim of the response is to provide an overview of the strategic policy context within which the application should be considered and a conclusion as to how the implementation of regional spatial policies could be affected by the proposal. It should be noted that the Regional Planning Body's response would relate to the development's potential impact on the implementation of the RSS as a whole and not just the criteria that has triggered the consultation with the Regional Planning Body.

To help these roles of the Regional Planning Body to function as smoothly as possible, a protocol was drawn up in consultation with local authorities and agreed and issued by the Assembly's Regional Planning Board in December 2007. This set out how the Regional Planning Body would approach its role and what local authorities could do to help its effective and efficient operation.

Whilst the issuing of final RSS in May 2008 and the changes in regional governance affect some of the operational details set out in this protocol, the principles it encapsulates around the roles of the Regional Planning Body and local authorities are still valid.

Up until 1 April 2009 the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly was designated as the Regional Planning Body. The Assembly ceased to exist from 1 April 2009 and the new Joint Regional Board is now the Regional Planning Body. The Joint Regional Board has delegated responsibility for responding to consultations sent to the Regional Planning Body on DPDs and regionally significant applications to the Spatial Planning Board. The work of this Board will be supported by officers from Local Government Yorkshire and Humber, who will respond to Regional Planning Body consultations on behalf of the Board.

Copies of responses made by the Regional Planning Body on strategic applications since April 2007 are available on this website. Click here to access a list of these.

Copies of our responses are filed by local authority. Click on the map below or use the website drop down at the top of this page for details of any current applications we are considering for each local authority.

Map of the Yorkshire and Humber Authorities

Either click the map below or use the local authority links on the left to read the Assembly's responses to applications we have received.

Revised criteria for identifying regionally strategic applications - Jan 2008

Revised criteria for identifying regionally strategic applications - Jan 2008 criteria for identifying regionally strategic applications

Revised Protocol for identifying regionally strategic applications

Revised Protocol for identifying regionally strategic applications Protocol for identifying regionally strategic applications

LGYH: 18 King Street, Wakefield, WF1 2SQ Telephone: 01924 331 631 email: mail@lgyh.gov.uk

NEW EVENT: Sustainable Economic Growth, Regeneration and Local Economic Assessments (LEAs)

Local government in Yorkshire and Humber needs to explore how we can work innovatively and build capacity to conduct robust and meaningful LEAs, which are also rooted in “real-life” economic geographies.

This workshop is intended to be the first of a series that will take place in the course of conducting LEAs during 2010, to share expertise and approaches and build capacity.