New legislation allows planning meetings to continue virtually

In response to the spread of COVID-19, the government has passed legislation to temporarily allow councils to hold planning meetings virtually through the Coronavirus Act 2020. Council committee meetings can be held through virtual platforms until 7 May 2021, subject to the act being renewed every six months by Parliament. 

Before this change, Schedule 78 of the 1972 Local Government Act required councillors to be present in the same place in order to pass decisions. This new legislation allowing virtual meetings is a government first and is allowing the planning sector to continue moving even through the lockdown.

Steve Quarterman, chief planner at the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government, wrote to local councils stating: “We encourage you to explore every opportunity to use technology to ensure that discussions and consultations can go ahead. We also encourage you to consider delegating committee decisions where appropriate.”

A good time to progress projects through planning

Because of this new law, now is a good time to plan projects and to progress the design through the planning and technical approval stages. As receiving a decision on a planning application typically takes eight to 13 weeks, this could be a great opportunity to get the ball rolling on your project.

A’Bear & Ball Architects LLP can help with design to planning, in addition to the preparation of building regulations drawings and construction information. We have experience helping clients obtain planning permission as lead designer for a range of projects.

A’Bear & Ball Architects LLP are focusing on design work & drawing production

As the industry and wider economy goes through a period of adjustment due to COVID-19, A’Bear & Ball Architects have put measures in place to ensure we can continue to operate safely and efficiently.

Our members of staff are working fully remotely and communicate several times each day through video conferencing. As all of our designs are fully digital, we can work on them from home and can communicate them to our clients digitally. With wider restrictions on travel and ‘face to face’ meetings, we are concentrating our efforts on design work and drawing production.

A’Bear & Ball Architects is available for meetings via phone and Microsoft Teams. Contact us if you’d like to learn more about how we can help you with your project.