Reacting to today’s speech by Eric Pickles MP, the Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, CPRE’s [1] Senior Planning Campaigner Paul Miner said:

‘We are glad to see the Conservatives state their support for the Green Belt as a green lung. This is particularly pleasing as recent pronouncements of a think-tank close to the party have given us cause for concern [2].’

‘We also welcome the clear statement that a Conservative Government would abolish the proposed Infrastructure Planning Commission, which will be unelected, expensive, ineffective and unnecessary [3].’

Paul Miner concluded:

‘Green Belt and an effective planning system benefit our largest towns and cities as well as our countryside. CPRE is keen to help rebuild the consensus – across the public and all political parties – on the importance of planning and Green Belt policy.’

– END –

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. 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: Bill Bryson. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen. www.cpre.org.uk

2. Mr Pickles stated his support for the Green Belt in his main speech to the Conservative Party Conference on 1 October 2008. On 22 August 2008, Oliver Marc Hartwich, the outgoing chief economist of Policy Exchange, a think tank recognised as having close links to the Conservative Party, was reported as stating that the Green Belt was not full of birds and hedgerows and much of it was instead home to industrialised agriculture, and that it should be built on to allow more affordable housing. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/2598010/Build-new-homes-on-green-belt-says-Policy-Exchange-think-tank.html

3. At the Conservative Party Conference, Eric Pickles MP stated, in answer to a question from the floor, that a future Conservative Government would ‘abolish’ the Infrastructure Planning Commission (IPC). The IPC is one of the key parts of the Government’s proposed reform of the planning system for major infrastructure projects proposed in the Planning Bill. CPRE is a member of the Better Planning coalition of NGOs including the National Trust, Friends of the Earth, the RSPB and the Civic Trust, which between them have the support of more than 5 million people. The coalition has consistently opposed the proposal in the Bill to make the IPC a decision-making body. We welcome other aspects of the Bill in principle, including the proposals for statements of national policy and a single consent order for major infrastructure projects. For more information on the coalition, visit www.planningdisaster.co.uk