South Downs National Park Authority responds to proposed planning reforms

The South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) has submitted its response to the Government’s consultation on sweeping changes to the planning system.
Fulking Escarpment. Photo: South Downs National Park AuthorityFulking Escarpment. Photo: South Downs National Park Authority
Fulking Escarpment. Photo: South Downs National Park Authority

The ‘Planning for the Future’ white paper sets out a number of ‘radical reforms’ to the planning system ‘unlike anything we have seen since the Second World War’, according to the Government.

The SDNPA has made detailed comments on nine key matters – including the status of national parks, local plans and environmental protection.

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The White Paper divides land into three categories – growth, renewal and protected.

A number of examples are given of areas that are to be protected, such as green belt and conservation areas, but the SDNPA is calling for national parks to be ‘explicitly’ included on this list too.

The proposals would see local housing plans developed and agreed in 30 months – down from the seven years it often takes.

But while the SDNPA agreed that adopting local plans currently takes too long, it warned that ‘a rigid and rushed local plan process’ would risk ‘losing fine judgement and thus making poorly informed decisions on the development of land’.

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The SDNPA said it was ‘deeply concerned’ that the White Paper had been written ‘without reference’ to the biodiversity emergency or the climate change emergency – noting that no ‘tangible measures’ to address the climate change were set out in it.

The authority’s response to the consultation was approved by members at a meeting earlier this month.

Ian Phillips, chairman of the South Downs National Park Authority, said: “The past six months has shown that National Parks and protected landscapes are needed now more than ever, not just by the communities who are lucky enough to live in and around them, but by the whole nation.

“The Dower Report of 1945 understood that ‘If the National Parks are to carry out their task to public and Parliamentary satisfaction, they must have a direct and first-instance concern in the whole range of planning operations, including not least the case-by-case administration of planning control.’

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“This key point is as relevant now as it was when National Parks were being created – understanding that planning is not just about buildings, it’s also about connecting people to place.

“It guides not just where and how we live, but also provides a clear means by which we both connect people to their protected landscapes and conserve those protected landscapes for this and future generations.

“Last year’s Defra Landscapes Review by Julian Glover focused on the critical role the planning system plays in protecting National Parks, stressing the importance of each National Park Authority’s planning powers.

“This milestone report also recommended a strengthened place for national landscapes in the planning system.

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“Our response to the Planning White Paper consultation focuses on nine clear areas and we look forward to working with Government to ensure than planning continues to conserve and enhance our protected landscapes on behalf of the nation.”

To see the SDNPA response in full, follow this link

What is the Planning for the Future White Paper?

The Government has published its planning for the future’ White Paper - which proposes a new planning system.

The White Paper divides land into three categories - growth, renewal and protected.

In growth areas, outline permission would be automatically given for developments specified in a council’s local plan; renewal areas would be seen as suitable for some development; and protected areas would see development restricted.

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Councils would also be able to set aside land in growth’ areas for self-built and custom-built homes.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The current planning system is complicated, favours larger developers and often means that much needed new homes are delayed.

“We’re proposing a new system which is easier for the public to access, transforms the way communities are shaped and builds the homes this country needs.

“The changes will mean more good quality, attractive and affordable homes can be built faster - and more young families can have the key to their own home.”

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According to the spokesman, the changes mean that homes will be built quicker by ensuring local housing plans are developed and agreed in 30 months - down from the current seven years it often takes.

It will require every area to have a local plan in place - while currently only 50 per cent of local areas has an up-to-date plan.

The planning system will be made more accessible, through the use of online maps and data, while the process would be overhauled and replaced with a clearer, rules based system’.

Meanwhile the proposals would also change the way that developers contribute to the cost of affordable housing and other new infrastructure such as schools, roads and GP surgeries. A new national levy would replace the existing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy, which the Government said would be simpler’ and would provide more certainty about the number of affordable homes being built’.

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The White Paper also proposes that all new streets should be tree-lined and that all new homes should be zero carbon ready’, with no new homes delivered under the new system needed to be retrofitted.

A consultation on the proposals ends on October 29.

To find out more, visit www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future.

To have your say on the proposals, visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/MHCLG-Planning-for-the-Future/

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