Backlash over government’s overhaul of English planning system
Something has to give if we are to get enough appropriate accommodation in rural England. These planning reforms point in that direction. They are however based on a for profit only approach which all our intelligence over the last 40 years suggests cannot do all the heavy lifting on its own. This story tells us:
The government is facing a backlash from local councillors – including more than 350 Conservatives –over its proposals to shake up the planning system.
More than 2,000 councillors from across England and campaigners have signed an open letter to the housing secretary, Robert Jenrick, calling on him to rethink the plans.
Ministers want to overhaul the planning system, which they say is necessary to boost the building of high-quality, sustainable homes, by streamlining the process, cutting red tape and harnessing technology.
Proposals include speeding up the creation of local plans by communities and creating zones for growth, renewal or protection, with development in growth areas pre-approved as long as it meets local design standards.
The proposals are also aimed at much quicker development in renewal areas, replace the planning process with a clearer, rules-based system, and protect green spaces by allowing for more building on brownfield land.
But councillors have said the plans will undermine local democracy by removing the public’s right to be heard in person at local plan examinations and taking away development decisions from elected planning committees.