Press release

Planning reforms: Campaigners to meet Minister to discuss concerns

7 September 2011

Speaking ahead of his meeting tomorrow (Thursday 8 September 2011) with Planning Minister Greg Clark and other campaign groups to discuss the Government's controversial new proposals for planning reform, Friends of the Earth's Policy and Campaigns Director Craig Bennett said:

"If the Government bulldozes through these short-sighted planning proposals it will create a building free-for-all that will blight our countryside with bad building - and stop the good building we need.

"Ministers say their plans will encourage sustainable development, but refusing to spell out what this means makes it virtually impossible for councils to prevent damaging developments from going ahead.

"The Government must amend these plans to encourage new green industries and jobs, build decent affordable homes and safeguard our environment for generations to come - or face another fiasco like the outcry over forests."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1.    Friends of the Earth's policy and campaigns director Craig Bennett will meet Greg Clark on Thursday morning along with representatives of other organisations including RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts and CPRE.

2.    Friends of the Earth has several concerns about the Government's planning proposals:

•  Friends of the Earth isn't opposed to new developments, but we believe that Government plans will derail the kind of planning we really need to create a low-carbon economy and push through disastrous and short-sighted development instead.

•  The planning proposals say there will be a presumption in favour of sustainable development - but failing to define what this means will create a developers' charter which will give rise to a building free-for-all.

 •  The Government is churning out a tired ideological mantra that deregulation will stimulate economic growth. This is not supported by evidence, nor is it what most senior business leaders actually believe.

 •  We want to see good quality, energy-efficient affordable homes being built - but the Coalition Government scrapped affordable homes targets when it came to power.

 •  The Government says it is undergoing a 'listening' exercise on its planning proposals - but this is undermined by a recent article by Chancellor George Osborne and Communities Secretary Greg Clark extolling their "determination to win this battle".

 •  If the Government continues to listen to legitimate concerns about its planning reforms it will face a public backlash similar to the fiasco over the forests sell-off.

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust