The Government today (Monday) published a Planning White Paper [1] with a strong economic bias which countryside campaigners CPRE fear will make it quicker and easier to develop Major Infrastructure Projects, large supermarkets and housing estates on green field land.

CPRE [2] will be working hard over the consultation period – which closes in less than three months – to get a stronger environmental emphasis into the final Planning Bill.

Marina Pacheco, CPRE’s Head of Planning said:

‘This Planning White Paper has the potential to radically change the character of the urban and rural environment by putting the needs of business first.
‘There are plenty of words in it about the environment, climate change and quality of life, but we question whether they are being given enough weight in what is proposed here.

Our key concerns on the Planning White Paper are:

1. Major Infrastructure Projects [3]

Despite calls from a wide variety of conservation and civic charities for the Government to reconsider its proposals for speeding up the planning and building of major infrastructure – such as motorways, big power stations, runways, ports, waste incinerators and reservoirs – these proposals are going ahead without significant changes.

Marina Pacheco continues:

‘We fear the proposals for Major Infrastructure Projects will reduce the level of real community involvement in deciding what gets built in their local area. It has the potential to result in a ‘twin track’ approach where scheme promoters and large environmental organisations will engage in consultation but individuals and communities will find it difficult to have their voices heard.

‘CPRE is also worried that the proposed Independent Planning Commission’s membership will be strongly influenced by economics and won’t have enough people with a robust environmental background.’

2. Regeneration of our towns and cities – the ‘needs test’

The ‘needs test’ which has helped ensure the vitality of our towns and cities is to be replaced by a form of ‘impact assessment’ for local authorities to use when deciding on applications for developments such as large supermarkets. Unless correctly conceived this would make it easier to get planning permission for superstores which threaten smaller local stores and high streets.

3. Wildlife and Green Belt under threat

We welcome the Government’s assurances that the Green Belt is to be maintained and improvements encouraged. However Green Belt does remain under threat in several regional plans – Regional Spatial Strategies – across England.

Any further reforms to the recently reformed planning system must recognise the importance of a high-quality natural environment for business, for people and in it’s own right. It must not prioritised economic development over the quality of the landscapes and habitats on the urban fringe and the wider countryside.

Marina Pacheco concluded:

‘We believe the Planning White Paper should be seen as a work in progress. We hope therefore to be able to work with the Government over the coming weeks to prevent changes in the planning system which would lead to unsustainable development.’
CPRE is a member of a coalition of leading environmental and civic organisations which have come together to respond to the Planning White Paper. [4]

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The starting point for the current White Paper was a Treasury-commissioned review of land use planning by the economist Kate Barker and The Eddington Transport Study – Transport’s role in sustaining the UK’s productivity and competitiveness. Officials have said that the Government is taking forward Eddington’s recommendations on major infrastructure projects. The Eddington report is also informing current re-structuring of DfT. A key point about the Barker and Eddington reports is that the authors were asked to focus on economic competitiveness and their briefs completely ignored social and environmental considerations. We consider that the recommendations in the final report of the Barker Review published in December 2006, are based on inconclusive evidence and will lead to an erosion of environmental protection and local democracy.

2. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

3. The White Paper proposes that the Government will set national policy statements for major infrastructure projects covering waste, water, energy and transport. The scheme promoter will then lead development of a particular infrastructure plan and also carry out the public consultation. A newly formed Independent Planning Commission (IPC) will hold inquiries on the applications and determine whether a proposal can proceed.

4. The other groups involved are the Council for National Parks, Friends of the Earth, the Civic Trust, the Ramblers’ Association, RSPB, the New Economics Foundation, AirportWatch, enoughsenough.org, Transport 2000, The Grasslands Trust, The Wildlife Trusts and the Woodland Trust.