This new Policy Exchange contains a radical new proposal to reform the planning system and empower local communities. Responding to the Government’s recent Local Development Orders consultation, the Pre-missive Society concept would see local stakeholders agreeing to what type and level of benefits they would require for specified development types in exchange for the presumption of planning permission. Benefits could range from reduced energy bills to public realm improvements. 

By thereby moving the planning system from a discretionary decision-making process to a more rules-based compliance model linked to legally-binding developer-to-community obligations, the intention is to increase the planning system’s speed, efficiency and certainty and ensure, for the very first time, that local residents benefit directly from local developments.