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Impact of Covid-19 on the public sector and Local Plans
Catherine Wright • May 19, 2020
Covid-19 has brought about many changes to normal life in the UK. Restrictions as to why people may leave their homes has inevitably forced multitudes of people to work from home, many of which are doing so for the first time. This sudden change has affected day to days tasks and still leads to difficult situations. Although there are still may uncertainties as to how Local Authorities can progress with planning through this period, this article aims to summarise the key concerns of many planners in the UK and how best to prepare for the future.
On the 15th May 2020, the RTPI published a research paper ‘Pragmatic and Prepared for the Recovery: the planning profession’s rapid response to Covid-19.’ The paper discussed the findings of a survey carried out by more than one thousand RTPI members on how planning departments have been responding to issues arising due to the lockdown.
The RTPI survey identified that main concerns for public sector planners were:
- the ability for all groups to comment on consultations;
- being penalised for not meeting targets for decision times; and
- the capacity to deliver new ways of working.
Government Responses
The English Government has published The Coronavirus Act 2020. As of 4th April 2020, two sets of regulations have been made under this Act, part of which enables Local Authorities to have the power to hold public meetings virtually using video or telephone conferencing.
The Planning Inspectorate has also produced guidance on how the body intends to carry out its duties. This guidance is under continuous review; however, the first fully digital hearing took place during the week commencing 11th May, with many more expected over the coming weeks.
The Welsh Government has produced the ‘Local Authorities (Coronavirus) (Meetings) (Wales) Regulations 2020’ which make temporary provisions for remote meetings and the publishing of electronic documents.
As of the 7th April 2020, Scotland passed emergency legislation within the Coronavirus (Scotland) Bill so that planning permissions due to elapse during the designated ‘emergency period’ were extended by one year.
In Northern Ireland, the Government has asked Local Authorities to adopt innovative approaches to carry out remote consultations and to work proactively with local communities and stakeholders.
Advice on Decision Making
Since social distancing measures were introduced in the UK on the 23rd March 2020, planning departments have been tasked with continuing decision making without face to face meetings. There are multiple ways in which different departments have strived to achieve this, with the delegation of decisions to officers, executives and senior committee members. Over two thirds of respondents to the RTPI survey wanted to see legislation to enable planning committees to make decisions without face to face meetings. Since the time of the survey, legislation to allow virtual planning committees to take place across the UK has been put in place.
Recent guidance includes ‘Local Government Association, Planning Advisory Service (2020) Planning and Covid-19’ and ‘Planning Officers Society (2020) DM Decision Making + COVID-19: How to manage committee decisions during the Coronavirus Emergency’ both of which provide advice on how to deliver effective digitalised planning committees.
As of the end of April 2020, approximately one third of LPAs had held, or were preparing to hold, virtual committee meetings.
Plan Making
Overall, the RTPI survey identified a desire to maintain the current momentum for Plan making. There is also a general desire to achieve compliance and avoid penalties, but the uncertain impact Covid-19 will have on communities is a worry for making planners.
There are questions as to whether the evidence base for Local Plans should reflect the ‘new landscape’ that is likely to follow. Other concerns include the cost implications of having to undertake reassessments following change, potential delays in the process having knock-on effects, implications to the housing delivery tests and how to use evidence that was gathered at the start of 2020. At this time, there is no clear guidance which would help combat these concerns.
Working Practices
These unprecedented times have resulted in a large number of people home working with little to no time to prepare. As a consequence, many people are finding that not all software or hardware is fit for purpose. When looking to the future and considering how home working may become more common place, it is important to consider how these constraints can be developed to ensure efficient working. This also highlight a potential issue with equality, and how people without access to computers or internet could be unfairly discriminated during these times.
Furthermore, there are many concerns regarding the physical and mental wellbeing of those home working. At present, there are many uncertainties due to Covid-19, including job security and childcare commitments, but long-term, key considerations need to be on access to open and natural spaces, and the quality of these spaces, as well as design and internal standards. These aspects may have increased significance in planning as the UK emerges from the Covid-19 lockdown.
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