In an exchange in today’s (Wednesday) Prime Minister’s Questions, David Cameron agreed to meet with CPRE and other groups concerned about the Government’s planning reform agenda. [1]

Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, says: “The Prime Minister’s commitment to meet with us is an encouraging sign that the Government is starting to take our concerns about their planning reforms seriously.

“We welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to local planning. But, in reducing existing planning guidance, many valuable policies like the brownfield first approach and recognition of the intrinsic value of ordinary countryside have been lost.

“It’s critical the Prime Minister makes absolutely clear that these reforms are not about making the planning system simply a tool of economic policy.

“We look forward to meeting with the David Cameron to find a constructive solution to this issue.”

End

Notes to Editors
[1] Zac Goldsmith (Con, Richmond Park): “Following the question from the Hon. Member for Keighley would the Prime Minister agree to meet organisations like the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the National Trust and so on to reassure them and their millions of members that the proposed changes to the planning system don't represent a blank cheque for developers?”

Prime Minister: “I'd be very happy to meet anyone to discuss this and I know that the National Trust have specifically met already with the Planning Minister the Rt Hon member for Tunbridge Wells and have had a lot of reassurances about what these planning changes mean and let me just say it again, because we're going to have stronger local plans that gives local people a greater ability to decide what's in the local plan and what's out of the local plan, at the same time having a presumption in favour of sustainable development will cut a lot of bureaucracy in our system. But we're not changing rules for GB, for AONBs for SSSIs and all the rest of it. I do think people need to focus on that because what we need to happen is sensible sustainable development to go ahead without the bureaucracy and the top down system today but with all the reassurances people need.”