I am pleased to have submitted my response to the Government’s recent planning policy consultation. As residents will know, strengthening planning policy has been an ongoing campaign of mine following my Planning (Enforcement) Private Members Bill in 2021, and subsequent amendments I sought to table to the Levelling Up Bill.
The Government has already taken forward plans to create a national planning policy database, one of the core tenets of my proposed Bill. This will enable planning authorities to track those who persistently breach planning policy. However I also called on the Government to go further and to require applicants to declare if they had previously been found to breach planning rules, and for this to be a material consideration when determining new planning applications. I am delighted that this consultation seeks views on the best way this too can be implemented. Together this will provide local authorities with additional powers to hold rogue developers to account, disincentivising such behaviour and enabling greater consequences to be applied.
In addition to planning enforcement, this consultation seeks views on how to deliver greater protection for key characteristics, including the Green Belt and flood plain, how to ensure delivery of key environmental aims the planning system, ensure greater engagement with communities and deliver the homes we need both now and in the future.
Encouraging greater flexibility and engagement in our approach to planning policy will encourage greater, and quicker, adoption of Local Plans. As we have seen locally, where a Local Plan is not in place planning policy sets out a presumption in favour of development, giving communities far less say in development decisions. I therefore support the measures to streamline and strengthen the current system, including strengthening the role of neighbourhood plans.
Further consideration is needed of the cumulative impact of smaller developments on communities, especially key local infrastructure, but the measures that have been put forward today will significantly strengthen our efforts to deliver on our housing aims while protecting our existing communities.
You can read my full response to the Government’s consultation below.
