Heading in the right direction

The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee report on the future of the planning system has been published.

The Committee calls on the Government to revisit its proposals and asks for further information on how the Government’s target to build 300,000 homes a year will be achieved – and the tenure and location of these homes.

“We’ve been calling for the planning system to be simplified for some time and this report recognises that government is now listening" said CLA Deputy President Mark Tufnell.

"But disregarding proposals for planning reform will ensure that the countryside’s full potential will never be realised. Instead, an overhaul of the planning system, underpinned by proper funding, would enable rural businesses, communities and the environment to realise their full potential. The countryside is not a museum and rural poverty will only be relieved if farmers and landowners are given the opportunity to invest in their communities and their businesses.

The suggestion, though, of a strategic review of the Green Belt is a step in the right direction and something we’ve been calling for many years. A review of the Green Belt’s purpose should focus on making a 70-year-old policy fit for purpose in the 21st century.”

Read the full report here.