Part 3: Planning Construction working hours Section 18: Extensions in connection with outline planning permission
Section 18 has a similar effect to section 17, but in relation to the extension of the duration of outline planning permissions.
	Section 18 temporarily modifies the effect of the TCPA 1990, which is to be read as if new sections 93D-93F were inserted into it, and modifications were made to section 78 (see subsection (3)) and Schedule 1 (see subsection (4)).
	New section 93D will modify any condition that imposes a time limit for the submission of an application for the approval of a reserved matter for those outline permissions where the time limit for submission of an application for approval expires between 23 March 2020 and 31 December 2020. The time limit for submission of such applications will be extended to 1 May 2021.
	New section 93E will modify any condition that imposes a time limit for commencement of development pursuant to an outline planning permission for those outline permissions where a time limit for commencement of development is due to expire between the date that section 17 comes into force and 31 December 2020. The time limit for commencement of development pursuant to these permissions will be extended to 1 May 2021.
	New section 93F will have the same effect as new section 93E for an outline planning permission (that is to say, an extension of time limits for commencement of development to 1 May 2021) where a time limit for commencement expired between 23 March 2020 and the date on which section 17 comes into force, if an "additional environmental approval" is granted or deemed to be granted in relation to that permission.
	The requirement for "additional environmental approval" is the same in these cases as described in relation to new section 93B above.
	Section 18(3) modifies section 78(1) to provide a right of appeal against a refusal of additional environmental approval.
	Subsection (4) modifies Schedule 1 to identify the local planning authority to which an application for additional environmental approval is to be submitted.
	Subsection (5) modifies the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2015 to require details of additional environmental approvals to be recorded by a local planning register authority.
	Subsection (6) provides that the temporary modifications to the 1990 Act and the 2015 Order detailed above expire at the end of 1 May 2021.
	Section 18(7) enables the Secretary of State, if he considers it reasonable to do so to mitigate an effect of coronavirus, to make regulations to amend the duration of the extension of time limits referred to above, and permissions to which such extensions apply, by substituting certain dates in the legislation with later dates, being:
the latest time limits which will be modified by this section 18 (set by this legislation as 31 December 2020);
the date to which relevant time limits will be modified (set by this legislation as 1 May2021);
the date after which no application for additional environmental approval may be granted or deemed to be granted, except on appeal (set by this legislation as 31 December 2020); and
the date on which subsections (1) to (5) expire (set by this legislation as 1 May 2021).
	Section 18(9) and (10) provide that the Secretary of State may, if making regulations under subsection (7) for any further or additional extension of time limits, require that such further or additional extensions be subject to further approval.
	An example of how these provisions would apply to outline planning permissions is detailed in the text box below.
Example 1: Cases of an extant outline planning permission involving an application for reserved matters approval
An unimplemented outline planning permission was granted on 21 October 2012. This was granted subject to a condition that any applications for reserved matters approval must be submitted to the local planning authority within 8 years. Therefore, no (further) applications for the approval of reserved matters may be submitted after 21 October 2020.
Under the provisions of this Act, the ability to submit applications for the approval of reserved matters pursuant to this outline planning permission will benefit from an automatic extension to 1 May 2021.
Example 2: Cases of outline planning permission with an extant reserved matters approval
An outline planning permission was granted subject to a condition that the development must be commenced within 2 years of the final approval of reserved matters. All reserved matters under the planning permission were approved on 3 October 2018. Therefore, the development would be required to be begun not later than 3 October 2020.
Under the provisions of this Act, this time limit would benefit from an automatic extension to 1 May 2021.
Example 3: Cases of outline planning permission with subsequent reserved matters approval which has lapsed
Another outline planning permission was granted subject to a condition that the development must be commenced within 2 years of the final approval of reserved matters. The final reserved matters approval was granted on 10 May 2018. Development was not commenced on or before 10 May 2020 and the permission has therefore lapsed.
As this permission lapsed before the date on which section 18 comes into effect, in order to be extended to 1 May 2021, a person with an interest in the land (or someone on their behalf) would have to submit an application for additional environmental approval to the local planning authority. In this case, additional environmental approval should be granted if (a) the Environmental Impact Assessment remains up to date and (b) it remains the case that no appropriate assessment under the Habitats Regulations is required, if planning permission were being granted for the development now. If the local planning authority is satisfied on these points, and so grants additional environmental approval, the time limit for commencement would be extended to 1 May 2021.