Preston City Council responds to proposed changes to the national planning system

03 November 2020

Preston City Council has issued a response to the government's proposed changes to the national planning system: 'Planning for the future'.

In its response, the council has criticised the proposals for not doing enough to tackle climate change as well as restricting the development of affordable housing in the city.

The council has also strongly objected to plans to reduce the role of councillors and the planning committee in making decisions as well as a perceived attempt to blame local authorities for delays in the development of new housing.

Councillor Peter Moss, Deputy Leader of Preston City Council and Cabinet Member for Planning and Regulation, said:

"While we support the need for planning processes to evolve and improve, these proposals undermine the role of local democracy and the ability for residents to have their say on developments affecting where they live.

"This White Paper also places the blame for delays to the development of new housing squarely at the door of local authorities, and this is simply not the case. The practice of developers and land owners 'banking' land and frustrating development opportunities in the interest of greater profit is responsible for the continued backlog of much needed housing.

"We also feel these proposals are damaging to the development and future availability of well-built and suitably located affordable housing. It is vital Preston City Council is supported to continue providing housing of the right tenure to those who need it most.

"Finally we feel these plans are a missed opportunity to fight climate change. The planning system has a huge part to play in achieving green targets, yet it is simply a tick box exercise in these proposals that will do nothing to tackle climate change and help meet government targets.

"We eagerly await a response to these concerns that are no doubt shared by our residents and local authorities throughout the country."

More information

• 'Planning for the future', launched by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government in August, has been available to local authorities and members of the public.
• Visit the government's website for more information.