01/97 - Planning Obligations

DoE 01/97 (28 January 1997)

This circular has now been cancelled. It is replaced by ODPM 05/2005 - Planning Obligations.

This circular sets out the government's policy for the use of planning obligations. It states the broad principles that planning must operate in the public interest and that planning permission may not be bought and sold.

Planning obligations should be necessary, relevant to planning, directly related to the proposed development, fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the proposed development, and reasonable in all other respects.

These matters are more fully spelt out in annexes setting out the statutory framework, explaining the policies of the Secretary of State, providing guidance on planning obligations to developers and local planning authorities, and describing arrangements for the discharge or modification of planning obligations.

This document is not currently available online.