The Government is expected to announce this week further radical reforms to the planning system - reported to be the biggest shake up since World War II.

Under the new plans, it has been reported that land will be divided into 3 categories: for growth, for renewal or for protection. Allocation of land for growth would allow new homes, schools and GP surgeries to be built automatically - if the LPA has judged there is a need for it. Renewal areas, mostly existing urban areas, would be subject to "permission in principle", to speed up the process and help to regenerate high streets and provide new housing. For protected land, such as land in the green belt and areas of outstanding national beauty, new development would not be allowed. This could set the structure for a zonal system.

However, as ever with planning, the devil will be in the detail and it remains to be seen whether this will amount to wholesale reform. It may be that there is a rebadging of the existing system of site allocations for development and designations for protection. It will be interesting to see how these changes will be aligned with local democracy, particularly where LPAs have recently adopted a new Local Plan and also how all these changes will be timed and phased. The point in time at which viability is assessed and any planning obligations or conditions negotiated will be critical.

 This definitely going to be the hot topic over the next few weeks and we will keep you updated as further information becomes available.