The government believes these are ‘an innovative new tool that will give residents the ability to propose development on their street and, subject to the proposal meeting certain requirements, vote on whether that development should be given planning permission.’ After a street vote development order has been made, it will mean ‘homeowners can develop their properties with much greater confidence that their neighbours will be supportive of what they’re doing, providing the development complies with the terms of the order.’
How will street vote development orders work in practice?
- A group of residents which meets certain requirements will be able to come together with a proposal for permission to be granted for development on their street, for example the addition of an extra storey to properties. The proposal can be put forward by the group of residents directly or with the assistance of an individual such as an architect.
- The proposal will be examined by the Planning Inspectorate on behalf of the Secretary of State to check that the proposed development is in scope and that requirements prescribed in secondary legislation are met. These requirements will help ensure that development meets high design standards and that local impacts are taken into account.
- If the proposal passes the examination, it is then put to a referendum. Where the required threshold of votes is met, subject to any final checks, the Planning Inspectorate will make the street vote development order on behalf of the Secretary of State. Once the street vote development order is made, granting planning permission, a person with control of the land can then decide whether they want to take forward development
The Act will require that a qualifying group must be comprised of at least the prescribed number, or the prescribed proportion of persons of a prescribed description. It is proposed that the minimum number of members in a qualifying group is 20% of the total number of individuals registered to vote in local council elections at an address within the street area, on the date the proposal is submitted for examination. Street areas must have at least 10 residential properties.
A street area is defined as the properties on each stretch of road starting or ending at a crossroads or as a minor road at a T-junction or where there is a gap between buildings of more than 50 metres.
Confused? This is just a small flavour of the proposed legislation!
Comments are invited up to 2nd February 2024, and Chapman Lily are taking the opportunity to submit their thoughts on the proposals.
Sophia Dykes (Planner) stated; ‘Whilst I have some sympathy for the ethos behind the proposal, I do wonder in reality how effective this complex legislation will really be in enabling more development, in what will already be an urban area, over and above the general presumption in favour of existing planning legislation and guidance.’
