Regenera t ionB r i t a i n

R E G E N E R A T I O N

B R I T A I N

“We’r

e buil

ding f

ewer

homes

than c

an acc

ommoda

te you

ng

people

that

need t

o be h

oused,

we’v

e got

a prob

lem of

homele

ssness

, over

crowdin

g, pov

erty a

s rent

s rise

.”‘In the times of a worrying economy, local councils look increasingly to reclaiming abandoned spaces. But are all brown field sites suitable for redevelopment?’

“We’r

e buil

ding f

ewer

homes

than c

an acc

ommoda

te you

ng

people

that

need t

o be h

oused,

we’v

e got

a prob

lem of

homele

ssness

, over

crowdin

g, pov

erty a

s rent

s rise

.”

“For companies expanding or relocating they need a new building and it’s crucial that when they’re thinking of Britain as a place to relocate they know they won’t have to wait

years with vast expense and uncertainty.” The housing minister denied there would be any backtracking on the plans, despite his agreement to hold talks. He said it was “quite right”

to consult because of the extent of the changes, and invited opponents to be very specific about any concerns. “Let’s be forensic about this - if there are particular aspects or sen-

tences that you don’t think express clearly enough the protections that are there, then let’s talk about it.

Mr Clark told the BBC it was “absolutely crucial” for the government to sim

plify planning pro-

cesses so that homes could be built a

nd to encourage business. Labour’s J

ack Dromey

welcomed the government’s decisio

n to talk to campaign groups, but sa

id

ministers’ p

revious stance showed “how out of to

uch they are”.

“Labour is in favour of su

stainable development - but

what the Tory-led government are offering is

a downgrading of the rules which pro-

tect our natural environment.” Mr

Clark also criticised the Na-

tional Trust for using pic-

tures of Los Angeles in

its campaign against

the plans.

Mr Clark told the BBC it was “absolutely crucial” for the government to sim

plify planning pro-

cesses so that homes could be built a

nd to encourage business. Labour’s J

ack Dromey

welcomed the government’s decisio

n to talk to campaign groups, but sa

id

ministers’ p

revious stance showed “how out of to

uch they are”.

“Labour is in favour of su

stainable development - but

what the Tory-led government are offering is

a downgrading of the rules which pro-

tect our natural environment.” Mr

Clark also criticised the Na-

tional Trust for using pic-

tures of Los Angeles in

its campaign against

the plans.

He said that such large-scale urban sprawl was “not going to happen here” and reiter-ated the government’s commitment to pro-tect the green belt, national parks and ar-eas of outstanding natural beauty. Councils would also have more responsibility under the new regime - which would mean better planning decisions, argued Mr Clark. Shaun Spiers, the chief executive of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, rejected Mr Clark’s assurances and said the propos-als would give too much say to developers. “What the government is talking about is a presumption in favour of sustainable devel-opment, but if you read the National Plan-ning Policy Framework in its draft form, what is clear is that is a presumption in fa-vour of development, and at every point sus-

tainability is undermined. “What they’re really talking about is a policy of ‘build, build, build’. This is about economic development. It’s about prosperity over people and places.” Peter Nixon, the National Trust’s director of conservation, welcomed Mr Clark’s invitation to hold talks but also criticised the changes.He told the Times newspaper that the government had the right “aspirations” but the proposals currently did not allow planning authorities to make decisions in a “balanced way”.

Planning minister Greg Clark said the changes in England were “absolutely crucial” but he also agreed to talk to opponents of the proposals. He said “particular aspects” could be addressed if groups such as the National Trust felt they were unclear.Shadow communities minister Jack Dromey said he welcomed the government’s willingness to talk. Mr Clark said the government would not back down on its aim to boost house-building and encour-age business. Campaigners say they fear excessive development under the The plan, published in July, streamlines policy that is currently more than 1,000 pages down to just 52 and features a presump-tion of “sustainable development”. The Department for Communities and Local Government says it intends to transform a system whose “volume and complex-ity have made planning increasingly in-accessible to all but specialists”. But the National Trust said the plans “failed to protect the everyday places that local communities love” while the Campaign to Protect Rural England said the govern-ment needed “to listen and make further improvements or the consequences for the English countryside and the character of our towns and villages will be grave”.

He said that such large-scale urban sprawl was “not going to happen here” and reiter-ated the government’s commitment to pro-tect the green belt, national parks and ar-eas of outstanding natural beauty. Councils would also have more responsibility under the new regime - which would mean better planning decisions, argued Mr Clark. Shaun Spiers, the chief executive of the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England, rejected Mr Clark’s assurances and said the propos-als would give too much say to developers. “What the government is talking about is a presumption in favour of sustainable devel-opment, but if you read the National Plan-ning Policy Framework in its draft form, what is clear is that is a presumption in fa-vour of development, and at every point sus-

tainability is undermined. “What they’re really talking about is a policy of ‘build, build, build’. This is about economic development. It’s about prosperity over people and places.” Peter Nixon, the National Trust’s director of conservation, welcomed Mr Clark’s invitation to hold talks but also criticised the changes.He told the Times newspaper that the government had the right “aspirations” but the proposals currently did not allow planning authorities to make decisions in a “balanced way”.

Planning minister Greg Clark said the changes in England were “absolutely crucial” but he also agreed to talk to opponents of the proposals. He said “particular aspects” could be addressed if groups such as the National Trust felt they were unclear.Shadow communities minister Jack Dromey said he welcomed the government’s willingness to talk. Mr Clark said the government would not back down on its aim to boost house-building and encour-age business. Campaigners say they fear excessive development under the The plan, published in July, streamlines policy that is currently more than 1,000 pages down to just 52 and features a presump-tion of “sustainable development”. The Department for Communities and Local Government says it intends to transform a system whose “volume and complex-ity have made planning increasingly in-accessible to all but specialists”. But the National Trust said the plans “failed to protect the everyday places that local communities love” while the Campaign to Protect Rural England said the govern-ment needed “to listen and make further improvements or the consequences for the English countryside and the character of our towns and villages will be grave”.