18.10.11
Planning reforms ‘not proven’ to boost economy
The National Trust has claimed that the Government’s planning reforms cannot be justified even by focusing on the predicted boost to economic growth.
It states that there is ‘no evidence’ that relaxing the rules on development will help to improve the state of the economy.
The draft National Planning Policy Framework in England aims to simplify planning, replacing over 1,000 pages of regulations with just 52. Additionally, the new plans “should assume that the default answer to development proposals is 'yes' except where this would compromise the key sustainable development principles set out”.
This ‘green light’ for planning has been opposed by conservation organisations and the National Trust, who argue that it will threaten green spaces and communities. Their petition against the reforms has gathered 209,879 signatures.
Sir Simon Jenkins, chairman of The National Trust, said: “The link between the availability of land with planning permission attached and either the state of the housing market or economic growth in general is simply not proven. I do not regard there is some magic bullet in the planning system that aids economic growth anywhere.”
However, housing associations argue that action needs to be taken to address the severe shortage of homes.
John Slaughter, from the Home Builders Federation, told MPs: “The planning system has not delivered sufficient land for housing development because otherwise we would not have the housing crisis that we do.”
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