In article written with Eric Pickles on proposed shake-up of planning system, chancellor says 'no one should underestimate our determination to win this battle'
The chancellor, George Osborne, has waded into the row over government proposals to shake up the planning system, insisting the government will "win this battle".
Osborne has written an article in the Financial Times with the communities secretary, Eric Pickles, in which the two senior Tory ministers claim planning reform is "key" to economic recovery.
As groups ranging from the National Trust to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds line up against proposals to ease new development across the country, Osborne and Pickles accused opponents of "falsely" claiming the government is putting the countryside in peril.
They made it clear the government was not turning back on the issue following a number of reversals including ditching plans to sell off parts of Britain's forests and embarrassing retreats on prison sentencing and health reforms.
"No one should underestimate our determination to win this battle," the ministers wrote. "We will fight for jobs, prosperity and the right protection for our countryside."
The draft national planning policy framework was published in July with a presumption in favour of sustainable growth, but critics have raised concerns that it will lead to a return to damaging development.
Greg Clarke, the planning minister, said over the weekend that he was willing to discuss details with the National Trust and other groups, but warned there would be no backing down on the overall aim to simplify English planning laws in an attempt to trigger growth.
In their article, Osborne and Pickles said reform was needed to "unlock" the new investment and new jobs Britain needs, and stressed that protections for the green belt, national parks and areas of outstanding beauty would continue.
"Opponents claim, falsely, the government is putting the countryside in peril," they wrote. "We say that sticking with the old, failed planning system puts at risk young people's future prosperity and quality of life."
In a swipe at critics, they continued: "Amongst the most vociferous in calls for government to bring forward a growth plan have ? surprise, surprise ? been among the most vociferous opponents to one of its central planks. The government is ready to debate the framework ? based on facts, not myths. The idea the presumption in favour means growth will be able to take place wherever, whenever, and however, is false."
Planning delays cost the economy �3bn a year, and reform is imperative because the current system is a deterrent to international enterprise as well as a barrier to the expansion of "homegrown enterprise", they said.
"The house-building slump was due to a range of factors, but a complex and adversarial planning system, which left many communities resentful, was part of the problem," the article added.
Under the proposals, planning guidance will be cut from more than 1,000 pages to fewer than 100. The new policy framework will pave the way for swifter, clearer decisions, and the presumption in favour of sustainable development means the answers to proposals for responsible, careful growth should be yes unless there are strong reasons to the contrary.
"The framework insists on high environmental standards and good design," the ministers wrote. "Poorly-designed and poorly-located development is in no-one's interest."
The author Bill Bryson, who is the president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), joined the debate at the weekend. He told the Observer: "The government's good intentions risk being undermined by the talk of economic growth at any cost. We are deeply worried to learn that environmental laws are regarded as red tape and that the planning system might be weakened to allow for more development."
Labour accused the Conservatives of throwing the planning system "into disarray". Reacting to the Osborne-Pickles article,, Caroline Flint, shadow minister for communities and local government, said they were planning to scrap the existing system without alternatives in place, leaving industry and investors without the certainty they need.
"In doing so they have put growth at risk, hitting housebuilders and all the industries that depend on a healthy construction sector," she said. "George Osborne and Eric Pickles have tried to bypass MPs and ignore the concerns of local people and organisations. Labour is calling on the government to extend the consultation process and allow time for parliament to debate and vote on its planning proposals. Labour believes in sustainable development and simplifying the planning process, striking the right balance between conservation and encouraging jobs, growth and new homes."
Shaun Spiers, the Campaign to Protect Rural England's chief executive, said: "The Treasury's ill-informed intervention in the planning debate reinforces the sense that the government's planning reforms are more about boosting short-term growth figures than about truly sustainable development. It is unfortunate that just as Greg Clark has offered to talk with critics of the draft national planning policy framework , his senior colleagues have indicated that they are unwilling to listen or to compromise, preferring to talk of their 'determination to win this battle'."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2011/sep/05/no-backing-down-planning-george-osborne
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