Regeneration Britain

In the times of a worrying economy, local councils look increasingly to reclaiming abandoned spaces. But are all brown field sites suitable for

redevelopment?

Greg Clark defends reforms to the current systemMr Clark told the BBC it was “absolutely crucial” for the government to simplify planning process-es so that homes could be built and to encourage business.“We’re building fewer homes than can accommo-date young people that need to be housed, we’ve got a problem of homelessness, overcrowding, poverty as rents rise.“For companies expanding or relocating they need a new building and it’s crucial that when they’re thinking of Britain as a place to relocate they know they won’t have to wait years with vast expense and uncertainty.”

The housing minister denied there would be any backtracking on the plans, despite his agreement to hold talks.He said it was “quite right” to consult because of the extent of the changes, and invited opponents to be very specific about any concerns.“Let’s be forensic about this - if there are par-ticular aspects or sentences that you don’t think express clearly enough the protections that are there, then let’s talk about it.

Planning minister Greg Clark said the changes in England were “absolutely crucial” but he also agreed to talk to op-ponents of the proposals.

He said “particular aspects” could be addressed if groups such as the National Trust felt they were unclear.

Shadow communities min-ister Jack Dromey said he welcomed the government’s willingness to talk.

Mr Clark said the government would not back down on its aim to boost house-building and encourage business.

Campaigners say they fear ex-cessive development under the Draft National Planning Policy Framework.

The plan, published in July, streamlines policy that is cur-rently more than 1,000 pages down to just 52 and features a presumption of “sustainable development”.

The Department for Commu-nities and Local Government says it intends to transform a system whose “volume and complexity have made plan-ning increasingly inaccessible to all but specialists”.

But the National Trust said the plans “failed to protect the everyday places that local com-munities love” while the Campaign to Protect Rural England said the government needed “to listen and make further improvements or the consequences for the English countryside and the character of our towns and villages will be grave”.

Labou

r’s

Jack D

romey

welc

omed

the g

overn

ment’s

decis

ion to

talk

to cam

paign

grou

ps, bu

t said

ministe

rs’ pr

eviou

s

stanc

e sho

wed “h

ow ou

t of to

uch t

hey a

re”.

“Lab

our is

in fa

vour

of sus

taina

ble de

velop

ment -

but w

hat th

e Tory

-led g

overn

ment a

re off

ering

is a

downg

rading

of th

e rule

s whic

h prot

ect ou

r natu

ral en

viron

ment.”

Mr Clar

k also

critic

ised t

he N

ation

al Trus

t for u

sing p

icture

s of L

os Ang

eles in

its ca

mpaign

again

st the

plan

s.

He said

that

such l

arge-s

cale u

rban s

prawl w

as “n

ot go

ing to

happ

en he

re” an

d reit

erated

the g

overn

ment’s

commitm

ent to

prote

ct the

green

belt,

natio

nal p

arks a

nd ar

eas of

outst

andin

g natu

ral be

auty.

Counc

ils w

ould

also h

ave m

ore re

sponsi

bility

unde

r the n

ew re

gime -

whic

h wou

ld mean

bette

r plan

ning d

ecisio

ns, ar

gued

Mr C

lark.

Shaun

Spiers,

the c

hief e

xecu

tive o

f the C

ampa

ign fo

r the P

rotect

ion of

Rural E

nglan

d, rej

ected

Mr C

lark’s

assur

ances

and s

aid th

e prop

osals w

ould

give t

oo

much s

ay to

deve

lopers

.

“Wha

t the g

overn

ment is

talki

ng ab

out is

a pre

sumpti

on in

favo

ur of

sustai

nable

deve

lopmen

t, but

if you

read

the N

ation

al Plan

ning P

olicy

Framew

ork in

its dr

aft

form, w

hat is

clear

is tha

t is a

presum

ption

in fa

vour

of de

velop

ment, a

nd at

every

point

susta

inabil

ity is

unde

rmine

d.

“Wha

t they

’re re

ally t

alking

abou

t is a

polic

y of ‘b

uild,

build

, buil

d’. This

is ab

out e

cono

mic de

velop

ment. I

t’s ab

out p

rospe

rity ov

er pe

ople

and p

laces.

”

Peter N

ixon,

the N

ation

al Trus

t’s di

rector

of co

nserva

tion,

welcom

ed M

r Clar

k’s in

vitati

on to

hold

talks

but a

lso cr

iticise

d the

chan

ges.

He told

the T

imes

newspa

per th

at the

gove

rnmen

t had

the r

ight “

aspira

tions”

but th

e prop

osals c

urren

tly di

d not

allow

plan

ning a

uthori

ties to

mak

e deci

sions

in a

“bala

nced

way

”.

Labou

r’s

Jack D

romey

welc

omed

the g

overn

ment’s

decis

ion to

talk

to cam

paign

grou

ps, bu

t said

ministe

rs’ pr

eviou

s

stanc

e sho

wed “h

ow ou

t of to

uch t

hey a

re”.

“Lab

our is

in fa

vour

of sus

taina

ble de

velop

ment -

but w

hat th

e Tory

-led g

overn

ment a

re off

ering

is a

downg

rading

of th

e rule

s whic

h prot

ect ou

r natu

ral en

viron

ment.”

Mr Clar

k also

critic

ised t

he N

ation

al Trus

t for u

sing p

icture

s of L

os Ang

eles in

its ca

mpaign

again

st the

plan

s.

He said

that

such l

arge-s

cale u

rban s

prawl w

as “n

ot go

ing to

happ

en he

re” an

d reit

erated

the g

overn

ment’s

commitm

ent to

prote

ct the

green

belt,

natio

nal p

arks a

nd ar

eas of

outst

andin

g natu

ral be

auty.

Counc

ils w

ould

also h

ave m

ore re

sponsi

bility

unde

r the n

ew re

gime -

whic

h wou

ld mean

bette

r plan

ning d

ecisio

ns, ar

gued

Mr C

lark.

Shaun

Spiers,

the c

hief e

xecu

tive o

f the C

ampa

ign fo

r the P

rotect

ion of

Rural E

nglan

d, rej

ected

Mr C

lark’s

assur

ances

and s

aid th

e prop

osals w

ould

give t

oo

much s

ay to

deve

lopers

.

“Wha

t the g

overn

ment is

talki

ng ab

out is

a pre

sumpti

on in

favo

ur of

sustai

nable

deve

lopmen

t, but

if you

read

the N

ation

al Plan

ning P

olicy

Framew

ork in

its dr

aft

form, w

hat is

clear

is tha

t is a

presum

ption

in fa

vour

of de

velop

ment, a

nd at

every

point

susta

inabil

ity is

unde

rmine

d.

“Wha

t they

’re re

ally t

alking

abou

t is a

polic

y of ‘b

uild,

build

, buil

d’. This

is ab

out e

cono

mic de

velop

ment. I

t’s ab

out p

rospe

rity ov

er pe

ople

and p

laces.

”

Peter N

ixon,

the N

ation

al Trus

t’s di

rector

of co

nserva

tion,

welcom

ed M

r Clar

k’s in

vitati

on to

hold

talks

but a

lso cr

iticise

d the

chan

ges.

He told

the T

imes

newspa

per th

at the

gove

rnmen

t had

the r

ight “

aspira

tions”

but th

e prop

osals c

urren

tly di

d not

allow

plan

ning a

uthori

ties to

mak

e deci

sions

in a

“bala

nced

way

”.