Monday, April 02, 2012
The Document can be read here in full
Labour Party
Hilary Benn MP, Labour's Shadow Communities Secretary,
responded stating:
"The Government's planning reforms could cause widespread
delay and chaos with many developments held up while the courts
decide how to interpret this radically new and untested approach.
This would both harm the house building we desperately need and put
our countryside and green spaces at risk of unwanted
development. We all want growth, but the fact is that
economic success is about much more than the planning system. The
Government should be putting its efforts into producing a strategy
for jobs and growth instead of making ill-thought through changes
to long-standing planning policy. The revised version has
conceded Labour's demands for protection for playing fields and for
a revival of Labour's successful town-centre first policy. But its
proposals on the use of brownfield land are too weak and the
transitional arrangements are rushed and worrying."
Home Builders Federation
Stewart Baseley, Executive Chairman of HBF,
said;
"The proposals are sensible and will balance a community's
housing needs against environmental and other considerations.
We now need to see the system implemented quickly so we can start
to tackle the country's acute housing crisis. The new system
transfers power to Local Authorities for development in their
areas. With power comes responsibility, and Local Authorities need
to demonstrate they are meeting their communities' housing needs.
Government also needs to keep a close eye on its radical new system
to ensure it helps meet the country's needs."
National Housing Federation
David Orr, Chief Executive of the National Housing
Federation,
said:
"The National Planning Policy Framework will give England
the simpler, speedier and more positive planning system it needs.
To grow our economy we need clear planning rules which support new
developments, with houses for all incomes, and create new
jobs. We are delighted the Government has listened to our
call for rural exception sites to be encouraged, as they provide
such a high proportion of rural affordable housing. The NPPF also
rightly puts the emphasis on creating mixed and balanced
communities, crucially underpinned by a presumption in favour of
sustainable development.
"... last year, housing associations and the Government
committed to delivering 170,000 new affordable homes over the next
four years. There are 1.8 million people on waiting lists for a
home, but the housing shortage can only be fixed with workable
planning rules. The NPPF makes that possible, but the onus is now
on local councils to maximise the planning system's support for new
affordable homes if we are to meet our acute and growing need for
affordable housing."
Campaign to Protect Rural England
A CPRE press release states
that:
"The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) believes
Ministers have made significant progress towards meeting the
concerns raised by rural campaigners about the draft planning
framework published last year, making some vital improvements that
should achieve better planning outcomes. We are pleased with
the direction of travel on several of our key priorities, including
the recognition of the value of undesignated countryside, the
definition of sustainable development and the explicit
acknowledgement that use of brownfield land is a core planning
objective. Ultimately, however, the proof of the new policy
framework will be how it works in practice. We and our supporters
up and down the countryside will work with the Government, local
authorities and communities to try to secure the best results for
what Planning Minister, Greg Clark, rightly referred to today
as 'our matchless countryside'."
British Property Federation
Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the British Property Federation,
said:
"We believe the NPPF is now a more moderate and sensible
document. The changes to the framework do not, however, alter its
overall objective of supporting well-planned sustainable growth
within a streamlined, plan-led system. Government has made
some sensible concessions while still ensuring that local
authorities must provide homes and jobs where they are
needed.
"What's needed now is clarity over how the NPPF is going to
be implemented. Urgent questions remain over how local authorities
should determine how many homes and jobs they need, and what the
guidance that underpins the NPPF should be. And those local
authorities that have failed in the last eight years to draw up an
up to date Local Plan must now get on and create one. Hopefully the
transitional arrangements announced today will be the spur they
need."
Scottish Government Funding - Empty Homes
The Scottish Government has
announced a £2 million load fund to "help stop empty homes
blighting Scotland's communities". A press release from
the Scottish Government states that
"The new loan fund will be specifically targeted at projects
to bring empty homes into use for affordable housing. For example,
this could include council or housing association schemes offering
loans to help owners renovate their homes in exchange for the
properties being made available as affordable housing."