Planning overhaul ‘threat to green belt’
ARADICAL government overhaul of the planning system could wipe out huge swathes of our green belt, a council meeting was told.
Hyndburn councillors have been told to identify suitable sites this month as the borough faces having to build thousands of homes by 2036.
A government White Paper and accompanying consultation, including reforms designed to expedite the planning process and provide a short-term boost to the economy, were debated at the recent full council meeting.
Proposals include temporarily abolishing affordable housing contributions for sites of up to 50 homes, and extending Permission in Principle planning consent from the current 10-home limit to major developments of up to 150 homes.
The chief planning officer’s report says the proposed new planning system would comprise three ‘pillars’ - Planning for development, Planning for beautiful and sustainable places, and Planning for infrastructure and connected places.
It states: “The proposed reforms are significant. The changes would require completely new legislation and guidance and would leave behind many of the principles and practices associated with the current planning system. It is described in the White Paper as a ‘whole new planning system for England’.”
Coun Jeff Scales said he worried about the “direction of travel” and called blaming delays on the planning system rather than developers, a “myth”.
“I do think that the existing planning process is much better than what’s on the table,” he said.
“It’s important that people can have their say, particularly on significant housing developments and what land is going to be designated.
“It seems with a strike of a pen we can be wiping out huge sections of green belt in a slow crawl to urban sprawl.”
Coun Tim O’Kane warned of a lack of distinction between house building and community retention.
“You cannot simply say ‘Hyndburn has to plan to build 3,600 houses over the next 15 years, therefore we are on target if we have built 250 after year one,” he said.
“In Clayton we had a developing local plan which identified future schooling and shopping needs, but also prominent was provision for elderly accommodation because people who had lived their whole lives in Clayton wanted to retire there where they could be close to family.”
Coun Judith Addison said the removal of the affordable homes requirement for some developments “can only be a backward step.”