Planning a fight

30th Aug 2011

The traditional August ‘silly season’ failed to materialise this year. Instead of non-stories filling up the pages of newspapers whilst everyone takes a break, we have been treated to the protracted fallout from the phone hacking scandal, rioting and looting across the UK and the continued upheaval in Libya.

In amongst all this, a potential political flashpoint over planning policy has slipped largely under the radar, yet is likely to be one of the key issues taking up column inches over the coming months. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), set out by the Department for Communities and Local Government to streamline planning policy, is creating a storm as concerns are raised over a vital clause in the framework which states a presumption in favour of ‘sustainable development’. Environmental and rural groups such as the National Trust and Campaign to Protect Rural England have already sounded the alarm over the proposals, fearing the changes will create a ‘free-for-all’ in development, allowing developers to trample over the greenbelt and push aside local concerns around potential infrastructure projects.

However, with the UK economy stubbornly refusing to grow, there are increasing calls for investment in infrastructure projects and reform of planning regulations to allow a more speedy construction of offices and homes to kick start a recovery. Yet these projects are precisely those likely to be opposed at a local level. The criticism the NPPF has already come up against perfectly demonstrates this tension between the need for national infrastructure projects to boost the economy and the desire to appease local residents over planning issues.

Worryingly for the Government, the tensions over planning and growth cannot simply expect to be brushed aside as a difference of opinion between Coalition partners. As a recent poll of the Tory grassroots for ConservativeHome highlights, Government’s planning reforms face strong opposition from within the party and are indeed a central concern for Conservative supporters, with 52% of members opposed to the changes. Furthermore, support for large scale infrastructure projects, such as HS2, which are intended to drive the growth agenda, is opposed by a majority of members (56%).

For businesses and organisations who will have a central role to play in the economic regeneration of the UK economy, a keen understanding of the tensions around the Government’s proposed planning changes and, in particular, how the Government is to reconcile twin ambitions of economic development and a commitment to localism, will remain vital to their success. Understanding and pro-actively engaging at both a national and a local level is key to ensuring new developments in construction and infrastructure go ahead.