Whitehall loses its grip on region as housebuilding targets scrapped

Leeds and West Riding town halls are among a number of development hotspots being allowed to ditch house-building targets which the new Government says have allowed London bureaucrats to "boss around" local democracy.

Before Gordon Brown was ousted from Downing Street local authorities were being buried in new guidelines which critics say benefitted house-builders more than local communities. Now Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is giving freedom to councils whose green belt was under threat from regional targets to make their own decisions where new building is located.

He says swift action is needed to halt the urban sprawl threatening the green belt around 30 towns across the country.

He has told councils they now have freedom to make planning decisions themselves, and will not have to wait for legislation to formally end Whitehall's grip on local planning policy.

While the current system of housing targets imposed from Whitehall, in theory, gives councils control over where houses are built, in reality it has forced them to redraw the lines of the green belt and designate large areas of countryside where new development will go over the next 20 years.

As reported by the Yorkshire Post, the approach has led to development being permitted in areas where previously it would been dismissed out of hand – including consent to build hundreds of new properties on the edge of the Domesday book village of Scalby, near Scarborough.

The new Government has committed to protect the green belt from any encroachment that communities have fought long and hard against, and give councils and communities the freedom to decide where new development will go.

Mr Pickles said: "The previous Government gave a green light for the destruction of the green belt across the country and we are determined to stop it.

"We've promised to use legislation to scrap top-down building targets that are eating up the green belt, but I'm not going to make communities wait any longer to start making decisions for themselves.

"That's why I have written to all councils to let them know from today they can make planning decisions in the knowledge Regional Strategies will soon be history.

"It will no longer be possible to concrete over large swathes of the country without any regard to what local people want.

"From now on communities will be trusted to make the right decisions about what development is suitable for their area, not bossed around by central Government and unelected regional quangos.

"Previously people from Bournemouth to Bromsgrove had to stand by and accept bureaucrats knew best. The new approach will allow local communities to control the way in which villages, towns and cities develop and they will be the ones who enjoy the benefits from the proceeds of growth."

The freedom is given to towns and areas that were planning to make green belt cuts and reviews because of Whitehall-imposed targets, including Leeds and West Yorkshire beyond Leeds.

The coalition agreement set out a commitment to rapidly abolish Regional Strategies and their centrally-imposed building targets, and the Government announced in the Queen's Speech that it will introduce legislation to do it.

Mr Pickles has told councils they now have the freedom to regard the commitment to end regional plans and housing targets as a material planning consideration in any decisions they are currently making.