ONE of the region’s leading commercial property specialists believes the public and private sectors must work closely to get the best out of new planning laws.

Kevan Carrick, senior partner at JK Property Consultants, has been involved in regeneration projects across the region for over 30 years.

He believes it will take a major shift in development culture for the region to take full advantage of changes announced in the Localism Bill.

While the full details are still to be announced, the Bill will confer neighbourhood planning powers to parish councils and neighbourhood forums, as well as the formulation of decision- making through councils on planning applications.

Mr Carrick said: “There are significant pressures to approve planning applications.

Gone are the days when delay in the planning system is tolerated.

Property values and sale prices are no longer rising to wash out the delays and mistakes in development.

Councils cannot sit back and wait.

“Developers and the councils will more than ever before need to engage with the local people and neighbourhoods for both large-scale strategic development and for the smaller developments.”

Mr Carrick warned that, faced with uncertainty over a new planning system, many applications will be decided through planning appeals which could increase costs, cause delays that slow down the creation of jobs and risk losing out on the New Homes Bonus and Regional Development Funding. Delays and legal costs would also eat into developers’ profits.

He advises that developers and planners need to improve their communication and to look more seriously at using mediation to resolve disputes.