The government has launched a new online resource which will house all national planning practice guidance.
Planning Minister Nick Boles announced yesterday that the new system would add simplicity and clarity to the planning process.
At the moment technical guidance is catalogued in 230 separate documents across 7,000 pages.
The new tool is now open for a testing window of six weeks; comments are welcomed during this time. The expectation is that it will go live later in the autumn.
Guidance is available through the pages on a range of issues. Planning Minister Nick Boles said: “Planning shouldn’t just be the preserve of technocrats, lawyers and council officers.
“Yet up to now even the experts have struggled to plough through all the background documents and find the right advice.
“To be effective our planning system needs to be supported by practical guidance that anyone can consult and follow.
“Having stripped away outdated advice, our new user friendly website brings together a simplified set of clear, concise guidance and publishes it altogether in one place.
“This will make the planning system much easier to navigate for everyone involved.”
To access the portal please click here.
