Responding to the publication of the government’s Planning for the Future white paper and associated consultation, BCC Head of People Policy Jane Gratton said:
“Businesses will welcome efforts to accelerate the planning and development of new homes, business premises and local amenities which will be vital to rebuilding our economy.
“Successive planning revolutions have been promised before, but usually turn out to be false dawns and businesses have continued to struggle with a complex planning regime which causes uncertainty and delay.
“For any planning system to work properly, it needs to be well resourced, transparent, supported by individuals and communities, and based on sound and consistent decisions. Any changes to planning policy and practice must deliver greater certainty and speed of decision making to deliver the right development, in the right places, more quickly.
“As well as delivering more new homes, the system must give access to affordable employment land and premises to support business innovation, expansion, and long-term competitiveness.”
An overhaul of the country’s outdated planning system that will deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes communities need will be at the heart of the most significant reforms to housing policy in decades, the Housing Secretary has announced (6 August 2020).
The landmark changes will transform a system that has long been criticised for being too sluggish in providing housing for families, key workers and young people and too ineffectual in obligating developers to properly fund the infrastructure – such as schools, roads and GP surgeries – to support them.
Valued green spaces and Green Belt will continue to be protected for future generations, with the reforms allowing for more building on brownfield land.
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