The Government announced a major reform of the planning system in August and launched a consultation on their proposed plans. The reforms are designed around three pillars (development, beautiful and sustainable places, and infrastructure) which support 24 proposals for change.
However, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing increased pressure from his own MPs over the reforms. According to research by the Campaign to Protect Rural England which surveyed 40 Conservative MPs, around 88% of Tory MPs had concerns about the proposed reforms particularly regarding how democratic the reforms may be.
Their concerns seem to centre around a few key areas, including:
In particular, the research showed that 63% of Conservative MPs were concerned that the reforms could increase pressure to build on green spaces, while around 75% were concerned about housing quality under the new plans. Furthermore, 48% of those MPs wanted to see more ambitious zero-carbon targets through new homes.
Whilst it has to be acknowledged that this data is based on the opinions of only 40 MPs out of a possible 364, it does show that there is concern within the party that the planning reforms will not be suitable if adopted in their current form. Notably, former Prime Minister Theresa May stated in October that she thought the planning proposals were "ill-conceived".
Whilst it may be accepted that the planning system does need some improvement, questions are clearly being raised as to whether the proposed reforms are the right ones. As the reforms were subject to a public consultation which ended on 29 October 2020, the Government is currently analysing the feedback it has received and will issue its findings and conclusions at a later date.
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