Review of permitted development rights - phase 2 consultation

Agree with all, other than in Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites where the urban fabric is key to the character and appearance of these areas. The introduction of more uncontrolled street furniture such as EV charging equipment will lead to visual clutter and could be significantly detrimental to the character of these sensitive areas.
Use of Article 4 legislation is less clear for the user and leads to different standards in each local authority.

Acceptable, other then any illumination that could impact on visual amenity and potentially road safety.

Agree with all, other than in Conservation Areas and World Heritage Sites where the urban fabric is key to the character and appearance of these areas. The introduction of more uncontrolled street furniture such as EV charging equipment will lead to visual clutter and could be significantly detrimental to the character of these sensitive areas.
Use of Article 4 legislation is less clear for the user and leads to different standards in each local authority.

Acceptable, other then any illumination that could impact on visual amenity and potentially road safety.

Appears to be in line with new technical requirements.

With the proposed restrictions on the areas that these are permitted and the distances from roads and dwelling houses this should ensure that they are limited to larger car park areas (without the need for an application).

The only concern would be where this results in the removal of trees within a carpark, which could occur in supermarket car parks etc where there are landscaped corridors between parking. If there could be a requirement for replacement of any trees removed as a result of the works, this would be supported.

Appears to be in line with new technical requirements.
However, if there was a requirement for housings to be painted in a colour which was appropriate to the area (agreed with the planning authority) that would help to minimise any visual impact.

These are sensitive areas where impacts should rightly be assessed in more detail.

This seems acceptable, given the 5m and 10m setback restrictions.

This should give an appropriate compromise of supporting solar canopies and protecting visual and residential amenity.

This would assist parties working in partnership or on behalf of local authorities.

Not at present, until more information is available on the responsibility for the infrastructure or what process such providers need to go through to obtain consent from the local authority as land owner/highway authority.

As above, this process needs to be in place before any PDR come into force.

Hight, location (for visibility splays), size/colour and agreement on the stand-offs for cable connections around the parking spaces.

Need to avoid conflicts with current statutory undertakers and other cable networks. If specific technical clearances are required around EV chargers then this should be set out.
This could make EV chargers in roads verges difficult to achieve. They need to be safe for the public to access and away from areas where other providers could need access to their infrastructure.

This seems logical approach to emerging technology and climate response requirements.
However, there could be an issue in some remote/rural areas where petrol/diesel is still required and becomes unavailable, though it is difficult to see how this could be controlled through the planning system. The government would need to clarify how this will be managed/accommodated.

Those identified seem appropriate.
Only issue would be that there should be clarification that alterations to the access would require PP, rather than just agreement with planning authority, as it is unclear how that agreement would be reached/obtained.

Agree that combined class 1 and class 2 and some class 10 and class 11 would be appropriate. Cafe uses in class 3 are also appropriate in the combined class.
Agree that class 4 should not be included.

Late night restaurant uses could be an issue for amenity (noise, smell and disturbance), if included. Class 3 could be restricted to opening no later than 8pm without specific PP if changing from the other uses.

Some uses in class 10 and 11 may also require opening hours and size restrictions, such as disco and gym uses.

COU of upper floor offices or retail storage areas to residential flats could assist regeneration if this were PD. It should only apply to 1 or possibly 2 bedroom (3 habitable room) flats and should only be permitted where they are entirely above class 2 offices, retail uses or residential (or that is the authorised use if the premises on the floor below are vacant).

It will depend exactly how these are operated but the enhanced flexibility could prove useful in targeted areas.

This could assist with flexibility in some areas, however, the change of use /loss of shops and cafes may be of concern in some traditional high streets.

1, 2 and 3 probably acceptable, though there remains some concern about the loss of traditional high street shops and cafes.

Possibly 250 sqm may be more appropriate to start with to ensure larger shops are not lost from high streets.

Any physical changes in a shop/unit frontage should still require PP to retain some control over the appearance of streets.

This has been successful during the pandemic in bringing interest and vitality to high streets.

A 2m wide footpath should be retained to allow safe passage of pedestrians. Where this cannot be obtained PP should be required.

This may also need some form of licensing arrangement through Roads/Highways.

Public houses would generally also look for this type of external area but this could create more issues in terms of noise and disturbance at later hours so should be the subject of a planning application.

A restriction that requires 2m of the pavement to be retained would still be required through Planning.

Yes, other than possibly COU for small scale upper floor flats - see Q21.
Larger developments require to be fully assessed to ensure the quality of the finished product (for user and in terms of the environment) is of the highest standard possible and any impacts on infrastructure are considered, including the need for developer obligations/contributions towards such.

See Q21
COU of upper floor offices or retail storage areas to residential flats could assist regeneration if this were PD. It should only apply to 1 or possibly 2 bedroom (3 habitable room) flats and should only be permitted where they are entirely above class 2 offices, retail uses or residential (or that is the authorised use if the premises on the floor below are vacant).

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