No more planning applications tied to lampposts thanks to Robert Jenrick's housing blueprint

Housing Minister Christopher Pincher told The Yorkshire Post that the new White Paper would "put local communities at the heart of the new planning process".

He said this would be done by "moving away from antiquated practices such as putting notices on lampposts toward a more interactive and accessible map-based digital system".

The Minister added: "In the same way that online banking has transformed the interaction between the bank and the consumer, we will place planning at the fingertips of local people, transforming their relationship with local government and giving them greater input into the development taking place around them."

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick this week defended his sweeping reforms to the planning system against criticism that the move to speed up building will create slums and ignore local concerns.

The new process will involve quicker development on land which has been designated "for renewal", with a "permission in principle" approach that the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) said will balance the need for proper checks with a speedier way of working.

The other two categories will see land designated for growth where new homes, hospitals and schools will be allowed automatically to empower development, while areas of outstanding natural beauty and the green belt will come under the protection category.

Mr Jenrick has insisted "we will cut red tape, but not standards" as he says it currently takes seven years to agree local housing plans and five years to get building.

It also aims to boost the share of houses built by small and medium-sized building firms, which built 40 per cent of new homes 30 years ago but only 12 per cent today.

The White Paper proposes that all new streets should be tree-lined and the MHCLG also says "all new homes to be carbon neutral by 2050, with no new homes delivered under the new system needed to be retrofitted".

Councils will also be forced to lay out a "local plan" setting out a long-term vision of where new homes can be built, as only 50 per cent have such schemes in place.

Mr Pincher said this would mean "much-needed homes can be built for local people in cities like York".

York council bosses submitted a blueprint in 2018 to deliver over 20,000 homes over the next 20 years, including up to 4,000 more affordable homes.

But the document has yet to be approved after government inspectors raised concerns about "intrinsic flaws" in the methodology used to decide the area which should be designated as protected Green Belt land.

Under the plans, councils would be 30 months to prepare a new-style local plan, or 42 months if they’ve adopted a local plan in the past three years or submitted one.

But no decision has yet been made on what would happen if the timescales aren't met.

Mr Pincher said: "Building back affords us a once-in-a-generation opportunity to kick-start a new wave of inclusive growth that lifts up all towns and communities, not just in Yorkshire and the Humber, but across the Northern Powerhouse.

"Places which have too often felt left behind having not experienced growth in the same way as the region’s larger cities.

"Our Planning for the Future White Paper sets out a clear path through which we can continue building greener, more beautiful homes throughout Yorkshire in vibrant communities that are supported by modern infrastructure.

"Through putting people at the heart of the planning process, we will fulfil our promise to build, build, build and bring the North’s economy roaring back into life stronger than ever before."