Category Archives: Planning Policy

“SENSIBLE DECISION MAKING”

Department_for_Communities_local_governmentEarlier this year, Brandon Lewis the Minister of State for Housing and Planning wrote to the Chief Executive of The Planning Inspectorate. His letter is here. He wanted to remind the planning community that “the impact of development on the landscape can be an important material consideration” in decision making.

He highlighted several recent appeal cases in which harm to landscape character has been an important consideration in the appeal being dismissed. Continue reading

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ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTER

The third dimension of development sustainability is environmental.

Here’s the single paragraph that Grainger dedicate to the matter.“The environmental credentials of the proposal are not diluted simply because the site is currently greenfield. It has already been acknowledged by the District Council that it will need to develop greenfield sites to meet Continue reading

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SOCIAL PROBLEMS

social-ProblemsGrainger donates one paragraph to the social dimension of sustainable development. Here’s what they have to say…

“The social merits of the proposal cannot be disputed, with the delivery of the proposal aiding in meeting one of the Council’s key priorities of delivering more affordable homes across the District. As such, the development would have a significant positive effect on providing the housing needed for present and future generations within a high quality environment.” Continue reading

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ECONOMICS THAT DON’T ADD UP

NPPF3Here’s what Grainger has to say about one of the fundamentals underpinning the sustainability of the project:

“There are three dimensions to sustainable development recognised within the NPPF; economic, social and environmental. In respect of the former, the proposal represents an opportunity to contribute to the building of a ‘strong, responsive and competitive economy’, by providing the LPA with an opportunity to deliver housing land in the right location to support growth, and principally via the construction of the homes, support the local economy and job creation within the wider Science Vale” Continue reading

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CRISIS? WHAT CRISIS?

Picture by Joe Wright

Picture by Joe Wright

Today’s Times has a Leader article all about “the housing crisis”. As it happens it is virtually a reprint of a piece is this week’s Economist. We all know the soundbite – we need to build more houses to meet the needs of a growing population.

Both these august journals advocate building more houses on green belt land. Continue reading

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It’s not inevitable. Unless you want it to be.

NPPFThere’s a developer-lead rhetoric that we are likely to face. “Presumption in favour of development” means this development is inevitable.

It becomes even more troubling when this developer-lead rhetoric is then unthinkingly adopted by Officers and Members who actually have a legal obligation to make objective, rational and logical planning decisions. Continue reading

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