A plan-led system

England has a plan-led system which sets out what can be built and where. Plan-making is central to the delivery of sustainable development and creating sustainable communities.

The Department for Communities and Local Government sets national planning policy. For further information please click here (this link will take you to another website).

Planning policy at the regional and local level has been reformed by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004. The Act introduced a new system of Regional Spatial Strategies and Local Development Frameworks. The new system will eventually replace the old planning system of Structure Plans and Local Plans.

The development plan is the starting point in the consideration of planning applications, therefore it provides the essential framework for planning decisions.

The development plan consists of:

• Regional Spatial Strategies prepared by the regional planning body which in our case is the South East England Regional Assembly (SEERA this link will take you to another website). This document sets out things such as how many homes are needed to meet the future needs of people in the region, or whether the region needs a new major shopping centre or an airport.
• Local Development Documents prepared by district councils, or in the case of minerals and waste development plan documents, by county councils (KCC this link will take you to another website). This will be a folder of documents known as the Local Development Framework that sets out how the local area may change over the next few years.