NPPF, HS2, PPA lots of initials for the New Year

So the new year dawns with the prospect of NPPF and Localism grabbing the headlines with HS2 making progress following its approval.

We are just becoming involved in a large scale project in North Somerset Council area, they are one of the smaller LPA's in the country and currently have one of the largest most complex planning matters to deal with - Hinckley Point nuclear power station (and the national grid connections). So they are very concious of the benefits of PPAs (Planning Performance Agreements). We may well need to sign up to a PPA for our project and that seems reasonably justified. But, when, on a much smaller scale project in Colchester we are asked to enter into a PPA in addition to paying for the PreApp process just so that our application gets the attention that it ought to have anyway it begins to feel as if there is something amiss in the system. Colchester Council may be experiencing financial hard times (their poor officers are now having to pay a daily charge to park in their own staff car park!) but that should not mean planning applicants are taken advantage of, not quite in the spirit of NPPF or encouraging PreApp discussions. If care is not exercised the very useful concept of PPA could become devalued into a money generating exercise more like DLR (not Docklands Light Railway more Daylight Robbery!).

I have just seen the Government consultation which seeks to ease the restrictions on people and organisations flying flags and to reduce the instances in which an Advertisement Regulations Consent is required. Thank heavens the Government is concentrating on the really important issues facing the country in 2012. The Euro may collapse and youth unemployment continue to rise - but no worry - you will be able to fly the flag of your favourite saint in your garden, even if that saint is not normally associated with your County, without needing to apply for Consent - thank goodness for that, the economy will be led out of recession by our flag manafacturers!

Meanwhile, HS2 is coming. There does not seem to be much of an economic case, the document sent to all of us residents by the Government to persuade us it was a good idea seemed to be mainly based on the premise that they have high speed rail in France and Germany so we need it as well - you cannot argue with logic like that. I am not convinced that there will be many people who want to go from central London to just outside of Birmingham and who would rather pay a higher fare for that than than use the improved Chiltern Line which is only a few minutes slower and actually goes into the centre of Birmingham. Don't you encourage use of public transport by having it take you where you want to go rather than somewhere a few miles and another journey away? Perhaps my view is jaundiced by the fact that it comes within 1km of my house, not so bad in itself until you also allow for the fact that it will be on top of a bridge and viaduct 12m high at that point! How many trains are there going to be every hour, perhaps I will have gone deaf from old age before it gets built?

On a happier note, we have been pleased to welcome Natalie back from maternity leave at the Bourne End office and she is renewing acquaintainships with clients and Councils alike.