It's official - Local planners are not up to the job (in a nice way)

Interesting list of recommendations coming from the WAG's Sustainability Committee this week.

It was tasked to dig into the planning system in Wales to see how it was performing. Evidence was called from across the board from developers through to Local Government, the Design Commission through to planners themselves.

The recommendations can be read in full here .

From our (selfish) perspective, we put the spotlight on key recommendations that should be heeded by planners in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority.
 
We were interested to note the conclusion that there is a real lack of technical ability among local planning officers to do their job, something we here in Pembrokeshire National Park have been
describing (perhaps ungenerously) as incompetence up until now.

Important too that (Recommendation 7) it should be made more explicit how planners policies "are expected to contribute to the delivery of the Economic Renewal Programme". This is an important message to PCNPA planners for whom our economic well being is an afterthought (admittedly through no fault of their own).

A key recommendation 23 stresses the importance of a robust evidence base for housing need... which I read as "if you want 50 affordable homes you're going to have prove they're needed".

Note also (Recommedation 19)  the plea that planners should focus on Welsh Assembly advice and not charge off on their own agendas. Now, this sounds familiar when you look at the activities of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Their recent draft planning guidance or SPG that would have material influence on members' planning decisions has already been widely criticised for going well off track.

I quote: "Some witnesses told us that the use of Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) was being misused by local planning authorities to introduce local policies without sufficient scrutiny." This is so true. WAG has been very good on developing policy that nurtures rural business and fosters sustainable development. As far as we can tell the PCNPA is taking IT'S policy in an almost totally opposite direction.

Anyway, all good stuff on paper. Time now to see how the government responds and whether this filters down to the grassroots.... I WILL hold my breath.

Any views?