The long awaited and much anticipated planning reforms that were heralded by the Housing Secretary in the Sunday Telegraph last weekend are finally available for us all to see. Our team is taking time to digest the consultation proposals carefully, along with proposals in a second consultation published on the same day on further changes to the current planning system. It cannot be said that planning professionals are not being kept busy at the moment - the rate of change in the current system, both temporary changes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and permanent changes to "tackle the housing crisis", requires our constant attention. Given this rate of change, developers and communities alike may be forgiven for finding the current system complex. Whether or not changing the system in its entirety will in fact simplify it and enable the country to "build, build, build" is at the heart of the "Planning for the future" consultation.
We will comment on Planning for the future in due course. However, one immediate thought of mine is this. We will always need a planning system to mediate between those who want to build and those who want to stop building. These reforms might shift some of that tension to an earlier point in the development process by requiring land to be categorised upfront for "growth", "renewal" or "protection", but in my experience the idea that this will result in development without conflict is naïve. If the opportunity for people to be heard at the point when individual sites come forward is suppressed, then pent-up antagonism is created that will inevitably find an outlet in increased litigation in the courts.
Ironically, as we prepare to exit the EU, these proposals would move us to a system that is much more European in style. In doing so, we may lose some of the unique features of the English planning system – its innate flexibility, dynamism and ability to react quickly to change. Zoning land for a prolonged period risks stifling innovation and creativity in the built environment. Our towns and cities attract investment from across the globe in recognition of our ability to combine old and new; heritage and modernism; conservation and progress. That is the sign of a vibrant planning system which we should celebrate. In its desire to appear to be radical, this government might just end up killing the golden goose.
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