What MPs and the CPRE have to say about the government’s plans to deregulate the planning system.
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There are fears that housing reforms will mean vast swathes of the countryside will be ‘concreted over’, as covered by the Telegraph (paywall):
The planning changes mean thousands of extra homes over the next 15 years will be needed in rural counties like Kent, Surrey, and Devon
Tory heartlands will have to find space for 1.5m new homes
Much of the criticism has centred on the government’s housing algorithm, as covered in these pages:
Calculating Devon’s housing need by algorithm – Vision Group for Sidmouth
With several MPs from all sides voicing their concern in a recent debate:
Planning Reforms Debated in Parliament Over Controversial Housing Formula | Homebuilding
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England makes its opinion very clear:
As MPs revolt against proposed planning changes, we’re at the heart of the debate – CPRE
And the CPRE in Devon has been very much on the case, producing a detailed and damning report last month:
Fast track to planning disaster in Devon? – The Moorlander
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A book which came out in April claims that the reasons for the ‘housing crisis’ go much deeper – and show the contradictions within the system:
In the eyes of Bob Colenutt, the answer is clear. In his urgent new book, The Property Lobby, he identifies the RICS as one of numerous actors in a complex network of landowners, housebuilders, financial backers, professional bodies and politicians who are engaged in propping up the status quo to ensure that their interests prosper – at the expense of everyone else. The housing crisis is no accident, he argues, but the calculated product of an elite group who have no reason to fix it.
Fatcat developers created our housing crisis. Here’s how to stop them | Architecture | The Guardian
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Meanwhile, the struggle over the government’s proposals continue::
New planning bill proposed – Vision Group for Sidmouth
The housing supply needed for East Devon – Vision Group for Sidmouth
New housing to get ‘automatic’ permission – Vision Group for Sidmouth