More power to the developers!

18 January 2021

Oldham & Saddleworth Green Party warns of the latest moves to take away our rights 

Goodbye public planning

The government continues to dismantle the planning system, taking away more of our rights to have a say in what gets built where in our communities, handing developers and landowners even more power and profits.

We need a stronger, more democratic planning system to build back better from Covid. To tackle poor, overcrowded and unaffordable housing, air pollution – all factors in the spread of Covid, and to regenerate our high streets to meet local needs. Instead the government is fatally weakening and privatising local planning.

The recent government White Paper ‘Planning for the Future’ was a major step in the wrong direction, see our News item for 30 October 2020 on this website.

The consultation on those controversial proposals is still to be reported on before any further decision making. Yet more major plans, misleadingly called ‘Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure’, that make the White Paper proposals worse were announced before Christmas with a consultation ending on 28 January so that they can come into effect on 31 July 2021. 

The latest proposals

The government is further extending Permitted Development Rights (PDR). This is where developers are given the go ahead without meeting the usual planning rules and procedures. That means that local communities and local councils have far less say in what is built, how it is built and where it is built. 

The effect of PDR so far

Permitted Development Rights to allow offices, shops, storage and light industrial units to be converted to housing were introduced in 2013. A government commissioned review (1) published in July 2020 found  that ‘permitted development conversions do seem to create worse quality residential environments than planning permission conversions in relation to a number of factors widely linked to the health, wellbeing and quality of life of future occupiers’.

Also, conversions decided on by developers did not meet the needs of local areas by removing business premises and not providing the size and type of housing most needed.

Even worse, unlike housing built under the usual planning rules, developers using PDR are not required to provide any affordable housing or make a Section 106 contribution to relieve the pressure of new homes on local amenities. The review estimated that though PDR was highly profitable for landowners and developers, between 2013 and 2017 local planning authorities across England missed out on financial contributions of up to £48m as a result of this policy.

Yet more PDR

The government has largely ignored its own review on the impact of PDR. In August 2020 it extended  PDR to allow shops, cafes, gyms and other high street buildings to change use, the demolition of buildings or the addition of two stories for new homes - all without being looked at through the planning process.

It’s now proposing that PDR to apply to all buildings in a new commercial, business and service’ category covering shops, restaurants, offices, gyms, banks, GP practices, nurseries, light industry and other business and leisure premises.

Goodbye to town planning

If implemented, the latest proposals will ensure that town planning as we have known it will no longer apply to the vast majority of development that can take place in urban areas, including conservation areas. How can councils regenerate town centres to meet local needs if left with such limited control over development management? What will this mean for Oldham Council’s town centre plans? 

We want thriving town centres and high streets but how is that achieved by denying local people any say on the shape and feel of their communities and civic centres, and removing councils’ ability to secure balanced and imaginative new uses for public space?   

Goodbye to better housing

Under PDR homes will be consented through a ‘prior approval’ process whereby council can only refuse a development for a very short list of reasons: flooding, site transport, contamination, adequate natural light, fire safety, noise from existing commercial activity, and other impacts on the intended occupiers of living in an area considered important for heavy industry or waste management. How can we ensure that new homes are well-designed, energy efficient and meet other quality, design, access, environmental and location standards, if none of this is covered by prior approval consents? 

Major developments with little say

Schools, hospitals, universities, colleges and prisons will be allowed to expand by 25% through new PDR rights. Public consultation time for brand new schools, hospitals, universities, colleges and prisons will be cut from 21 days to 14 days. The government says that there should be more pre planning application consultation but the public also need time to look at and give their views on the detailed application plans which show the full shape and impact of a development.

Who decides?

The government says that it wants to give communities a more meaningful voice in the future of their area. Instead of reforming the current planning system so that local communities can fully participate in decision making, government actions and proposals show that it wants to give communities as little voice as possible. 

Supporting Housing Delivery and Public Service Infrastructure  is a fast track, by-the-back-door move to, in the Prime Minister’s own words, ‘tear down’ (2) the English planning system and give a free hand to developers and landowners to profit by deciding what’s built in our localities.

Take Action 

Use this information to write to your MP asking them to oppose these proposals. Also see the open letter to the Greater Manchester Mayor and all the council leaders from Manchester Local Plan Coalition of 50 local community, housing and environmental organisations, including the Green Party (3). Respond to the consultation questions opposing the proposals because of the damage they will do to democratic rights and to your community consultation.

Notes

(1) 'Quality standard of houses delivered through change of use permitted development rights’ published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government 21 July 2020

(2) Prime Minister’s Foreword to ‘Planning for the Future’ White Paper’ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/907956/Planning_for_the_Future_web_accessible_version.pdf

(3) Manchester Local Plan Coalition Open Letter http://www.gmhousingaction.com/planning-open-letter/

 






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