Labour has secured a vote in the House of Commons on
controversial legislation that will stop local people objecting
to inappropriate developments in their street.
Ministers rushed through three statutory instruments, which can
be passed into law without a vote by MPs, ahead of the Summer
recess. The legislation would remove the need for planning
permission, so that:
·Some blocks of flats could have up to two storeys added for new
homes
·Empty residential and commercial buildings in high streets could
be demolished and rebuilt as housing
·Homes could be extended upwards by two storeys
The statutory instruments are the first of the Government’s
proposed reforms of the planning system, amounting to a new
“Developers’ Charter” that will remove powers from communities
and hand them to Whitehall-appointed boards of developers.
Leaseholder groups have also criticised the legislation, stating
that it would make it more expensive for leaseholders to buy
their freeholds at a time when the Government has promised to
legislate to make it cheaper to do so.
The reforms were announced just weeks after the Westferry
Printworks Development Scandal, in which the Housing Secretary
unlawfully approved a £1 billion development for
Conservative donor Richard Desmond, saving him tens of millions
of pounds due in tax.
It was later revealed that the Conservative Party has received
more than £11m from property developers since became Prime Minister.
, Shadow
Minister for Housing and Planning, said:
“This is the first stage of an atrocious new Developers’ Charter,
which will wrench power away from local people and into the hands
of the developers that bankroll the Tories.
“Passing this legislation will kill off our high streets, hobble
leaseholders and create a new generation of slum housing – and
there will be nothing local people can do to stop it.
“If Tory MPs vote through this legislation, they will permanently
silence local voices and show their communities that it’s not
just who is in the pockets of developers.
Ends
Notes to Editors
·The Town and Country Planning (Permitted Development and
Miscellaneous Amendments) (England) (Coronavirus) Regulations
2020 would allow some blocks of flats to have up to two storeys
added for new homes under permitted development rules
Source:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/632/introduction/made
·The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development)
(England) (Amendment) (No. 2) Order 2020 would allow homes and
commercial buildings to be extended upwards by two storeys for
new homes under permitted development rules.
Source:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/755/contents/made
·The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development)
(England) (Amendment) (No 3) Order 2020 would allow the
demolition of empty residential and commercial buildings to be
rebuilt as housing under permitted development rules
Source:
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/756/contents/made
·On the 21st and 22nd July, Labour tabled three Early Day Motions
objecting to these changes and secured the debate and vote after
the Government attempted to pass the controversial legislation
without a vote in the House of Commons.
Source:
ohttps://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57306/town-and-country-planning
ohttps://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57322/town-and-country-planning
ohttps://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/57323/town-and-country-planning
·Negative Statutory Instruments (SIs) become law automatically on
a stated date unless objected to.
Source:
https://www.parliament.uk/about/how/laws/secondary-legislation/statutory-instruments-commons/
·Leaseholder groups have criticised one of the pieces of
legislation, stating that it would make it more expensive for
leaseholders to buy their freeholds at a time when the Government
has promised to legislate to make it cheaper to do so.
Source:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/freeholders-attacked-over-cladding-get-big-windfall-9287p8jtc
·The Planning for the Future White Paper was launched by the
government on 6thAugust 2020.
Source:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907956/Planning_for_the_Future_web_accessible_version.pdf
·The Government also launched a separate consultation on changes
to the current planning system:
Source:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907215/200805_Changes_to_the_current_planning_system_FINAL_version.pdf
·The Government’s ‘building better, building beautiful’
commission found in their final report that permitted development
had ‘permissioned future slums’ and recommended requiring
permitted development rights to have standards.
Source:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/861832/Living_with_beauty_BBBBC_report.pdf
·The Tories have received more than £11m from property developers
since became prime minister, an investigation has found.
Source:
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/tory-party-property-developer-boris-johnson-conservative-donors-a9588381.html
·There is widespread discontent on the Tory back benches over No
10’s housing reforms. One rebel has said that the vote is a
“proxy” before a showdown on planning.
Source:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/tory-housing-rebels-prepare-for-battle-3zw3r963r
