Rescue have responded to proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). These changes, proposed in December 2015, include changes to affordable housing and planning permission with regard to Brownfield sites inter alia.
In summary, our concerns throughout the proposals centre on the consideration of the historic environment within the planning process and we are concerned that the need for pre-determination archaeological investigation to establish the archaeological significance of a site before permission is granted has not been adequately addressed. Archaeological investigation at the very beginning of the development planning process both ensures that our heritage assets can be properly taken account of in the development process and ensures that potential developers are fully aware of the financial and logistical implications of any surviving archaeological remains.
This is all the more important where the usual uncertainties of whether permission will be granted have been removed by some of the proposals in this document.
Read our response below:
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