Commenting on the Housing, Communities and Local Government
Committee report on the future of the planning system, Crispin
Truman, chief executive of CPRE, the countryside charity, said:
‘It is no surprise the Committee of MPs is
‘unpersuaded’ by the government’s reckless and untested changes
to the planning system. MPs, the public and civil society have
been urging Ministers to radically rethink the proposals set out
in the Planning White Paper, so that we can create the low
carbon, well designed homes, green spaces and places of the
future.
‘Following evidence from CPRE and many more besides,
it’s hugely encouraging to see the Committee’s focus on
protecting the right of local people to engage in all aspects of
planning. Under the government’s current proposals, we could see
democratic input halved and local people stripped of the right to
have a say on individual developments. We agree that local
authorities must also be granted the powers and backing of
central government to get sites with planning permission built
out far more quickly.
‘But there also needs to be a much better mix of new
homes built in rural areas. The Committee’s call for affordable
housing planning agreements to be kept could not be more timely.
If these are lost, we fear the already paltry supply of much
needed new social rented homes will dry up completely in many
rural areas.
‘As the chorus of opposition continues to grow, we’re
calling on the government to radically rethink its changes to the
planning system. What we need is clear targets in planning for
tackling the climate and nature emergencies and enhancing and
protecting our countryside, rather than a narrow obsession with
building more and more housing, regardless of whether that
housing meets local needs. By encouraging local people to take
part in planning, holding developers to account and driving up
build out rates, we can begin to tackle the housing crisis head
on.’
