Housing developers urged to submit applications

A major commercial law firm has urged residential developers to submit planning applications as soon as possible because of concern that the Conservatives, if elected, will take a tougher stance on schemes than the current administration.

That advice has come from McGrigors which has just published research which indicated that Conservative-controlled councils were less likely to approve housing proposals than planning authorities run by other political parties.

This research showed that over the 12 months up to the end of March this year Conservative councils approved an average of 63 per cent of planning applications for major housing developments, in contrast to the 69 per cent of applications for major housing developments approved by local authorities not under Conservative control.

Researchers from McGrigors also highlighted that nine of the 10 LPAs with the lowest percentage of planning permissions granted for major housing developments are run by the Conservatives. 

The councils named were: Rochford, Castle Point, Brentwood and Staffordshire Moorlands with a 20 per cent approval rate, Wycombe with 21 per cent, Wokingham with 25 per cent, Forest of Dean with 26 per cent, and Bexley with 27 per cent and Canterbury with a 28 per cent approval rate.

Suzanne Gill, partner at McGrigors, said: “Developers should act as soon as possible because as the elections draw closer, councils will become increasingly reluctant to grant planning permission, especially for projects seen as contentious.

 “There is also the danger that after the elections the incoming Government will be tougher with planning applications than the outgoing one.”

Read the McGrigors press release

 

Roger Milne

26 November 2009