Planning conditions
The Act introduces a power for the Secretary of State to make regulations which prescribe the circumstances where certain conditions may or may not be imposed and descriptions of such conditions for the purpose of ensuring that conditions meet national policy tests in the National Planning Policy Framework.
	Pre-commencement conditions are planning conditions which prevent any development authorised by a planning permission from taking place until the condition has been formally discharged, for example, the condition may require the approval of detailed aspects of the development. The Act ensures that pre-commencement planning conditions are only used by local planning authorities where they have the written agreement of the applicant, subject to any exemptions that the Secretary of State may prescribe in regulations.
	It is intended that the process of agreeing pre-commencement conditions before a decision is issued should become a routine part of the dialogue between the applicant and the local planning authority, building on current best practice. In the event that an applicant refuses to accept a necessary pre-commencement condition proposed by a local planning authority, the authority can refuse planning permission. This will maintain appropriate protections for important matters such as heritage, the natural environment, green spaces, and measures to mitigate the risk of flooding.