Golden Threads and CIL

Where will the "Golden Threads" take us and CIL is unleashed on an unsuspecting Newark.

We have now had a chance to look much more closely at the draft NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) and we have drafted a newsletter that we hope to circulate in good time prior to the end of the consultation period on 17/10/11. Perhaps we are missing something, but we do not see quite the "carte blanche" for developers that the National Trust, CPRE et al fear to be the case.

There are plenty of comments seeking to encourage development together with the "golden thread" of a presumption in favour, but that was always supposed to be the case anyway. I remain concerned that the NPPF loses some of the specifics that one ought to be able to expect in central government guidance and that generalised exortations are not quite the same, can be open to different interpretation and may require appeals before any clarity emerges, but we will see.

Meanwhile, we should be concerned that the indignant outrage expressed in the Daily Telegraph and elsewhere does not make the Government reverse some of the more important aspects of the the draft. Will the golden threads lead to a pot of gold? I suspect, not as many as some would hope and others would fear.

Another interesting development is that the first Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) scheme has just been approved and comes into force later in the year for Newark & Sherwood Council. There is also a sign of possible things to come with Newark & Sherwood objecting to the CIL scheme for Shropshire as they think it unfairly promotes some types of development - the ever present law of unintended consequences - mind you surely everyone saw that kind of thing coming, so is such competition unintended?

With possible CIL contribution requirements of £100+ per sqm for residential (I have heard of possibly up to £575 in parts of Wandsworth), up to £1,000 for retail there are going to be quite a few potential developers getting a nasty surprise as this seems to have received very little wider media attention, yet all commentators know it is on the way. Do the developers operating around Newark appreciate what awaits?

The "logic" of CIL probably sounded very good when someone thought of it and sketched it out on the back of menu at a Party conference, or wherever it was dreamed up. But, it still looks a bit flakey to me from what I learned at a recent seminar on the subject, eg the charging authority has no obligation to actually spend the money they collect on the schedule of projects used to justify the charge in the first place.

On the domestic front all of our staff enjoyed a good day out at Uttoxeter races and there did not seem to be too many long faces as a result of unwise betting. Mind you, I was disappointed having picked placed horses in all of the races only to find that my Tote PlacePot winnings were less than my original stake!

We will have another new arrival at the Company soon when our new Graduate, Sam Pickering, starts at the end of the month. We were overwhelmed by the number and high quality of the applications we received and had the painful task of disappointing many very promising applicants many of whom did not even get as far as the interview list. It is obviously very tough out there for graduates in the job market and we wish them all good luck in finding an appointment soon.