Pictured above: (l-r) Cllr David S Smith (Leader of
LDC), Richard King (Strategic Director of Democratic, Development
and Legal Services), John Rowe (Solicitor, Ansons), Nick Hardy
(Director, GVA Grimley), Andrew Thompson (Walsall Council)
On 30th March Lichfield District Council and Ansons Solicitors
jointly hosted a seminar organized by the West Midlands Region of
the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) to consider the
implications of the new Planning Policy Statement 4 (PPS4) using
Lichfield City as a case study.
PPS4 sets out how planning bodies should, in the wider context
of delivering sustainable development, positively plan for
sustainable economic growth and respond to the challenges of the
global economy, in their planning decisions.
The event was attended by over 70 Planners from private
consultancies, developers and local authorities. The three speakers
were John Rowe, Solicitor for Ansons Solicitors, Nick Hardy,
Director GVA Grimley and Richard King, Strategic Director for
Democratic Development and Legal Services, Lichfield District
Council.
According to John Rowe "the Government sees the new PPS as a
planning tool to assist communities emerge from recession by
adopting a positive approach to economic development. However,
there remains a strong message of protecting and strengthening
existing town centres and reinforcing a plan led system. On the
whole the new PPS has been well received by practitioners but some
concerns were expressed at the seminar regarding potential
additional burdens on local planning authorities to collate the
necessary evidence required and the rigidity of Policy EC17
requiring refusal of permission for main centre uses failing the
sequential approach. As always, only time will tell, including
whether new PPS4 will have time to make an impact if the
Conservatives form the next Government, having pledged to undo much
of what is in the new PPS4".