The Government is on a collision course with the countryside once again
The Government is once again on a collision course with the countryside, this time with its plans to reform local planning committees.
Plans to restrict the role of local planning committees could undermine democracy while potentially failing to address housing shortages.
Countryside charity CPRE says that the real problem is with big housebuilders maximising their profits by hoarding planning permissions while drip-feeding unaffordable, poor-quality properties onto the market.
It added that the Government can hit its target of 1.5 million new homes by prioritising existing permissions and brownfield sites.
Labour is already skating on thin ice when it comes to the countryside. While the Government’s zeal to get Britain building again is laudable, given the severe housing shortages, there is also a great need to protect the countryside.
It isn’t just a simple case of nimbyism or of aesthetics. The countryside is vital when it comes to protecting towns and cities from the elements.
The concerns of local communities when it comes to planning cannot be summarily dismissed.
The Government should not just be looking to build houses but develop communities. That cannot be achieved in opposition to people already living in the countryside. Developing existing planning permissions should be a top priority. House builders cannot be sat on land, only to then demand further concessions from local communities. Solving the housing crisis is not going to be easy and the concerns of the countryside demonstrate this but it is an issue that cannot be ignored either.