MAJOR NEWS: Planning guidance now formally supports live/work

The Government has given statutory backing to live/work by publishing its long awaited new economic development planning policy statement, PPS4.

The endorsement is outlined in PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth, which is now published.

Policy EC4 says local planning authorities and regional planning bodies should ensure that their development plans 'facilitate new working practices such as live/work'.

While previous draft versions of PPS4 have endorsed live/work, this new document has legal weight as a statutory document.
The contents of PPSs must be taken into account by planning bodies when shaping development plans and determining individual applications.

A report outlining responses to the draft PPS4, which accompanies the guidance, said that some respondents 'considered that more guidance is needed on how local authorities can encourage live/work units and protect them from becoming live/live units.'

PPS4 has been in gestation since December 2007 when the first draft of the statement was published. Live/Work Network has worked closely with officials at CLG to brief them on live/work in this period and has written guidance on live/work for the RTPI's Planning Matters website.

View final PPS4.