Environmental charities urge ‘reset’ of planning shake-up to avoid ‘worst of all possible worlds’

A draft version of the new NPPF was published in December, but has raised concerns. 

The coalition – which includes the CPRE, RSPB and the Town and Country Planning Association – called for loopholes to be removed. This should include “changing the new draft presumption in favour of development so that it supports genuinely sustainable, plan-led and high-quality applications and stops speculative grey belt and other poor schemes”, the group said.

As part of its efforts to boost housebuilding, the government brought in the Planning and Infrastructure Act, which includes introducing spacial development strategies to co-ordinate major housing projects. It has also reintroduced mandatory housing targets for councils. 

The coalition said there should be a focus on delivering social and “genuinely affordable housing” as a “priority” in new spatial development strategies.

It also called on the government to publish its delayed long-term housing strategy.

The letter called on the government to “review the implications of the standard method for housing targets to ensure the methodology can drive densification to improve economic productivity while protecting greenfield land and sites important for nature and heritage”. 

The group pointed out at that major house builders were scaling back development even before the effects of the Iran war take hold, which it suggested shows that “planning is not the primary barrier to housing delivery”. 

The letter warned that “weakening planning policy while house builders pull back delivery will result in a further drive to more profitable greenfield sites that are poorly located and, with reduced environmental safeguards”. 

The charities warned that the further weakening of planning policy could “risk the worst of all possible worlds”. 

The letter concluded: “Raised but unmet expectations of affordable housing, an obsession with planning reform to increase supply while developers scale back their plans, and a planning system that can no longer ensure that development works for nature, communities and the climate.”

Richard Hebditch, convenor of the Better Planning Coalition, said: “Weakening the planning system is not leading to an increase in housebuilding. But it will likely lead to poor-quality development and fuel a backlash against development. Now is a good time for the government to reset its approach to planning and development.”

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We will build the homes this country needs and this will not come at the expense of the environment.

“Our national planning policy is clear that decisions should enhance the natural and local environment, with a strong focus to deliver more social and affordable housing.

“More widely, we’re taking action to ensure councils adopt up-to-date local plans as quickly as possible to avoid the risk of speculative and unwanted development.”