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Greater London lags behind the Northern Powerhouse in planning approvals

Local planning authorities (LPAs) in Northern Powerhouse are delivering more planning approvals per resident than those in Greater London, according to new figures released today.

The Annual Planning Survey, published by the British Property Federation and GL Hearn, has found that LPAs in the Northern Powerhouse region decided 22% more major applications per resident than their compatriots in Greater London.

Specifically, this equated to 11 major planning decisions per 100,000 residents across the 34 authorities in the north compared to just nine decisions per 100,000 residents in Greater London.

Regions in the north also dominated when it came to reaching decisions the quickest, with four of the five LPAs achieving a determination time of less than 20 weeks residing in the Northern Powerhouse, while seven out of the 10 authorities to determine more than 50 major applications were also in the north.

Alastair Crowdy, Managing Director of Capita Real Estate Advisory and GL Hearn, said that the figures hint at the improved growth prospects in the north as the government’s Northern Powerhouse plan takes root.

He said: “The fact that the Northern Powerhouse is deciding more major applications per capita than London is a hugely promising sign for growth in the North – and one that shows that the development that drives growth is spread across the country.”

In terms of total approved applications, the Northern Powerhouse, when combined with planning figures for Greater Manchester, saw 1,161 major applications in the last year which represents 50% more than the total approved in Greater London over the same period.

Of course the Northern Powerhouse covers a much vaster and less knottily constructed area, but the figures still point towards positive investment and development moves that are arising across the major cities in the north.

However, Crowdy went on to warn that, in the current climate of economic uncertainty, planning investment from the government was likely to stagnate, and that the various industries involved must work together to keep things moving.

He added: “It is clear that in a time of economic uncertainty it is unlikely that we’ll see the planning system receive a huge investment boost; we all know that there are other, more pressing priorities for the Government and for local authorities.

“As a result, we all need to work together – planners, developers and central government – to deliver innovative solutions and policies that will help get Britain planning again.”

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