The Localism Act devolves greater powers to councils and neighbourhoods and gives local communities more control over housing and planning decisions.
The provision relating to planning is as follows
- Abolition of regional plans (including the East of England Plan) in favour of local plans to be prepared by local authorities.
- Ministers to make decisions on infrastructure proposals of national importance.
- Local communities are to recieve some funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy.
- Local community groups and parish and town councils will also have a new powers to prepare neighbourhood plans and neighbourhood development orders to approve development without the need for planning permission.
Please see Communities and Local Government website for further details in relation to the content of the Localism Act.
Here you can find more information about the meaning of Localism.
As a result of the Government's intention to abolish regional plans the Cambridgeshire Local Authorities have adopted an Interim Planning Statement to guide decisions on future development.
The authorities will continue to work together in relation to the preparation of evidence to inform decisions on future development levels and locations, so that the strategy which emerges will be based on a thorough understanding of the issues the county faces.
Further details in relation to this work will made available on these webpages.