County and unitary councils believe government’s planning reforms will weaken local voices and put rural areas at risk

The coalition also raised the alarm over a policy in the new NPPF to include allocated land in a town or village’s boundary regardless of whether it has permission or is being built out.

It said this could lead to schemes being approved which are theoretically on the edge of a settlement but in practice isolated from other housing and local services.

The CCN also urged the government to revisit how it calculates housing need as it claimed that the current method is not a true reflection and has led to “excessively high” targets. It called for councils to be given more powers to force developers to build out projects.

The group criticised the five-year housing land supply policy as vulnerable to being used by developers to get approval for homes in unsustainable sites on appeal and called for the policy to be axed or for stronger guidance to make sure it is not “gamed”.

While the CCN welcomed plans to include spatial development strategies in the NPPF, it said these need to be brought in before local plans as this will save money and time.  

Andrew Husband, housing and planning spokesperson at the CNN, said: “If the government implements these ‘one size fits all’ policies that supersede local decision-making in tandem with its housing targets and its reintroduction of the five-year land supply, then rural and county areas could face a developer free-for-all at a time when their infrastructure is already buckling under the strain.”

He added: “Some of these measures may be appropriate in large urban areas, but in rural communities even a few dozen homes can dramatically change the character of a village.

“Government should rethink its approach and ensure that housing growth is matched by investment in roads, public services and local infrastructure.”

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “We’re building the 1.5 million homes this country needs and making sure these homes are in the right areas to benefit local people.

“Local voices are vital in planning decisions and our proposals will provide greater certainty for local authorities, communities and developers – while making sure no areas face unsuitable development.”