national planninng framework

This article points to the key role under the new national planning framework for local authorities in terms of decisions around greenbelt. It explains:

“Greg Clark, the minister responsible for planning, said the framework ensured there would be no greenfield development without the sanction of local authorities. “Local communities are the best judges of what is important in their area,”Clarksaid.

“My expectation is that most communities will want to bring brownfield back into use; but if they want to preserve green space in towns, to maintain a leafy aspect to them, [and instead would] like to make the choice, say, to add two or three homes to the edge of villages in their area, it will be up to local people to decide. I don’t think they should be prevented from making that choice by a national ban.”

This debate will run and run but I think it has some really interesting challenges and opportunities around local self determination which we should be engaging much more actively with at the neighbourhood level in terms of the role of local authorities. What do you think?