Planning reforms ‘unclear’, says North Yorkshire County Council

Government plans to reform the planning system have been described as “unclear” by North Yorkshire County Council.

The council is set to respond to a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on sweeping changes to “streamline and modernise” the planning system.

Harrogate Borough Council’s response to the reforms last week said the changes would “erode local democracy”.

Now county council officials have said the proposals are unclear and lack detail, but added some ideas were “intriguing”.

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A report prepared for the county council’s business and environmental services meeting on Friday says the current planning system is “not completely broken”.

It adds the government white paper Planning for the Future “sets out a range of intriguing ideas, but is short on detail”. It adds:

“It does not address all aspects of planning, choosing instead to focus heavily on processes related to housing, speed and efficiency. 

“It is worth noting that the current planning system is not completely broken. In recent years, North Yorkshire local planning authorities have had a good track record in consenting new homes in line with plan targets, and good progress has been made on working towards comprehensive up to date local plan coverage.”

‘Tear it down and start again’

The white paper suggests local authorities could develop local plans by zoning land into three categories: “growth”, “renewal” or “protection”.

Other suggestions include digitalising the planning system, allowing more permitted development applications, replacing section 106 payments with a new system for developers and giving government the final say on how many homes should be built in an area.

In the foreword to the white paper, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was critical of the current planning system.

He said:

“Thanks to our planning system, we have nowhere near enough homes in the right places. People cannot afford to move to where their talents can be matched with opportunity. Businesses cannot afford to grow and create jobs.

“The whole thing is beginning to crumble and the time has come to do what too many have for too long lacked the courage to do – tear it down and start again.”

Harrogate district MPs silent on government planning reforms

Harrogate District MPs are remaining tight-lipped about the government’s planning proposals as a storm brews within the Conservative party over the reforms.

If passed, the proposals would have a big impact locally and could see Harrogate Borough Council’s Local Plan redrawn so land would fall into one of three categories: growth, renewal or protected.

The government could also set a fresh housing needs requirement for Harrogate if they think more homes should be built on brownfield sites within the district.

The Stray Ferret asked Conservative MPs Andrew Jones, Julian Smith and Nigel Adams whether they backed the proposals but none responded at the time of publication.

The BBC reported last week that one Tory MP is predicting “quite a battle” in the Conservative party over the issue.

Conservative MP for the Cotswolds Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said he is worried the reforms will lead to “the slums of tomorrow” due to lower quality housing being built in affluent areas.

On the Today Programme this morning, Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight Bob Seely even suggested that a large amount of new homes being built on the island could affect his majority at the next General Election.

James Jamieson, the Local Government Association’s chairman and a Conservative councillor also said a loss of local control over developments “would be a concern.”

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The government wants to see 300,000 homes built a year in the UK and housing minister Robert Jenrick said the proposals will “cut red tape” to deliver housebuilding on a faster scale.

But it’s been criticised by Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) who called the proposals “disgrace” and the Labour Party who called it a “developers’ charter”.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, said the government’s planning reforms won’t do enough for affordable or social housing in the district.

She said:

“Yet again, we are witnessing a Conservative-run government who are completely unwilling to understand what people need. Reforming planning laws will not aid those who are either stuck on waiting lists or struggling to get the funds together to buy their own home.”