At Carter Jonas, we are very aware that questions may arise around the impact that Covid-19 is having, or is likely to have, on the planning system both immediately, and over the coming weeks. We are finding that all parties are working hard to minimise any adverse effects.
We would like to reassure you that as far as our various planning and development teams are concerned, it is ‘business as usual,’ and we are all set up and working remotely with full IT and telephone support. We are able to proceed with client and team meetings using video conferencing facilities such as Microsoft Teams and Skype and can report that business is continuing as normally as possible given the circumstances.
We are also in regular contact with local authorities and other parties we need to engage with, such as the Planning Inspectorate and Examination Programme Officers, and we are exploring a range of further methods alongside internal and external project teams to ensure we can continue to work collaboratively in our clients’ best interests.
These are extraordinary times, but the planning system continues to function, from our experience so far the following points are worth noting:
There is likely to be some disruption with site visits as Councils have understandably mandated that staff should work from home. Use of aerial photography and ‘street view’ technology may assist, but these have obvious limitations which need to be recognised. Clearly, some application proposals will be more dependent on a comprehensive site visit than others, and the extent to which officers are familiar with sites (through pre-application work etc.) will also be a factor. We are aware that some authorities are requesting video footage of sites where they are unable to carry out visits.
The current situation does mean that public exhibitions and workshops cannot go ahead. A move to greater use of online public engagement platforms should help and we are discussing this with a number of Councils at present and planning our first event under the current arrangements.
While some technical studies can be completed remotely, a number of those that require any form of site visit are on hold until the restrictions are lifted. A solution might be to allow submission and validation of applications with these studies ‘to follow’ when circumstances allow. Without this flexibility, it may not be possible for some applications to be submitted. We understand however that CIEEM (the professional body for ecologists) have confirmed that ecological surveys may still take place where necessary and subject to social distancing being observed. This is potentially important given the seasonality of some of these surveys.
For the time being, appeal inquiries, hearings and Examinations in Public will not be able to proceed. The Planning Inspectorate (PINS) hopes to use the ‘recovered’ time to attempt to clear some of the backlog of case work. This will inevitably lead to delays and further backlog. ‘Virtual inquiries’ and examination are being investigated and may streamline the process.
