Clark unveils 12-month "Planning Guarantee"

Local authorities will have to decide planning applications in no more than 12 months under new Government proposals.

In a letter to councils, planning minister Greg Clark said thousands of applications currently get stuck in the system for over a year, leaving householders and businesses frustrated.

According to Government figures, 3,200 plans submitted in the 2010-11 financial year took more than 52 weeks to be decided.

Under the proposed guarantee, councils would have to deal with the original application as well as any appeals within the 12-month time limit.

Councils will also be required to publish information on their performance. Clark said he expects this information to be made available as frequently as possible and at least every quarter.

In addition, the Department for Communities and Local Government will compile its own report on the performance of individual authorities.

"We need a simpler, swifter planning system that delivers fairness for all, from householders to local firms and shops," Clark said.

"At the moment, too many planning applications get stuck in the system for too long, leaving people in planning limbo.

"The Planning Guarantee will help remove the uncertainty from the system for communities and ensure that every application, big or small, is dealt with quickly and fairly."

Full details of the Planning Guarantee will be published for consultation in the autumn.