PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR MP
ASK THEM WHERE THEY STAND ON THE PLANNING REFORMS.
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There is hardly anything that can create more damage than badly sited and badly designed development, and this damage is permanent. However since planning policy guidance was ditched by the Cameron government, the planning system has become more and more heavily biased in favour of large developers leaving communities feeling stitched up. Towns and villages are being ruined by excessive badly sited ‘executive’ development leaving brownfield sites undeveloped and house prices continuing to soar. However, the ‘once in a generation’ planning reforms proposed by Boris Johnson’s government have been almost universally criticised as undemocratic, removing effective routes to objection and handing developers even more power. At the same time, the proposals remove obligations to provide social housing, and allow conversion of shops into cramped social housing without even needing planning permission.

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The problem, says the government, is that it takes too long to get planning permission, and developers can’t be certain they will get their applications approved. This, they say, is putting them off. There is absolutely not evidence for these claims. 1 million permissions remaining unbuilt and £multi-billion annual profit goes to the 10 largest housebuilders.

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The consultation responses (about 35,000 of them) have yet to be reviewed, and yet the government insists all the warnings, from organisations including Local Government Association to the Town and Country Planning Association and housing charity Shelter, and it own backbench MPs is ‘misguided’. It seems that the only people apart from the Boris Johnson and his housing ministers who claim this is a good idea are the developers.

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The government has already passed legislation to allow upward extensions and conversion of shop units to residential without planning permission. This despite strong objections from planning bodies and without any debate in parliament.

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Only MPs have the power to force a rethink. A threatened rebellion has already forced a rethink on an algorithm that would see huge hikes in housing numbers in the south. A number of Conservative MPs are already nervous about their seats if the rest of the policies are approved [The ‘Blue Wall’ could collapse, Tory rebels warn Boris Johnson over planning reforms (telegraph.co.uk) ]

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There is a better way. The Raynesford Report by the TCPA and the Onward report both set out sensible democratic reforms but have been completely ignored. Not least is the idea that councils should be able to purchase and develop land themselves. At the last election Lib Dems made a manifesto pledge to allow the community to appeal the decisions of the planning committee (currently, only the applicant has right of appeal).

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***STOP PRESS*** The 'Planning for the future reforms had been put on 'pause' by new housing minister Michael Gove because of worries over a backbench rebellion.  This shows that public pressure can work.  Recent by-election results suggest people are beginning to realise that anyone can find themselves on the sharp end of government policy.  However, the planning system remains biased and dysfunctional and we do not know what 'reforms' we may end up with.  We need to keep the pressure on.  The Permitted development rights are still very much alive, so if you don't like the idea of housing developers simply buying their way into the high street, or your neighbour adding a storey onto their property without any way of objecting to it, why not write to your MP and tell them.