What is a Planning Performance Agreement?

Planning performance agreements (PPAs) are a proactive and beneficial way of working with the Council to develop your proposals, address conflicts with planning policy, engage relevant stakeholders and communities, and achieve a high-quality development, all within agreed timescales. PPAs are a project management tool, where the applicant/developer and Milton Keynes City Council enter into a voluntary agreement covering:

• required resources, including additional specialisms, officers and project management;
• roles and responsibilities and expected actions of those involved;
• key milestones and anticipated timescales;
• the approach to community engagement; and
• other matters (such as planning (s106) obligations)

PPAs usually start with the pre-application stage and can continue to cover both the formal and post-decision stages, but can be entered into at any time prior to the submission of a formal planning application. Whilst PPAs can be used for any application, we specifically recommend them for large and/or complex planning proposals.

The PPA Charter

The Council has developed a Pre-Application and PPA Charter. In respect of PPAs, this details how PPAs will be encouraged and delivered by the Council, in its capacity as the local planning authority. Equally, applicants and interested parties are also expected to respect and fulfil its aims, recognising that a collaborative approach delivers timely, positive and pro-active outcomes. It provides clarity over when a PPA should be considered.

The Charter is best practice and sets out the manner in which the Council aims to operate. It does not, however, impose mandatory expectations on the parties involved in PPAs.

Entering into a PPA

To enter into a PPA with the Council, you will need to provide some information so that the proposed agreement can be suitably tailored to meet the needs of all parties likely involved:

• details of the development proposal, including number of units and/or floorspace involved;
• the intended manner of application (e.g. full, outline or hybrid);
• the site concerned, presented as a site location plan;
• land promotion and/or ownership arrangements to outline the relevant parties to be involved;
• details of any previous pre-application discussions;
• a suggestion of the number of pre-application meetings and written responses required;
• any consultees which are considered necessary to be on the project team; and
• proposed timescales for submission and determination.

This information should be provided using this link. MKCC will use this information to create a draft PPA and calculate the relevant fee.