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Government Regional Offices

Government Offices contribute to land-use planning at regional and local levels through work on regional planning guidance, development plans, local transport plans and statutory casework. Government Offices carry out the statutory responsibility of:

  • The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government
  • The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • The Secretary of State for Transport

Specific planning functions of Government Offices include:

  • Finalising the ‘Regional Spatial Strategies’ looking at the planning needs of the region as a whole - and working with Regional Assemblies to ensure that the strategies reflect regional needs and character
  • Scrutinising draft development plans prepared by local authorities to ensure they have taken account of national and regional policy and guidance
  • Supporting local authorities in the transition to and preparation of their Local Development Frameworks
  • Looking at individual planning applications which may raise issues that have more than just local importance, and advise Ministers whether they need to intervene (that is, ‘call in’ the application)
  • Taking decisions on a wide variety of other planning casework referred to the Department for Communities and Local Government

Although Government Offices are consulted in different capacities, acting for different Secretaries of State, the Secretary of State cannot comment on planning applications - following the consultation process, local authorities may refer certain planning applications to the Secretary of State for consideration and they, therefore, need to remain impartial.

In line with statutory requirements, Government Offices and the Planning Inspectorate receive spatial planning documents for comment i.e. local development schemes, development plan documents etc these are usually sent electronically, together with the required number of paper copies.

Government Offices receive referrals e.g. under the Shopping Departures Directions, although these are not usually referred electronically, often because of the amount of supporting information - nationally there is a project looking at accepting electronic Tree Preservation Order appeals and handling the appeals electronically.