>Labour to overhaul ‘antiquated’ planning system
>
>09 OCT 2023 BY KERRY LORIMER
>
>Labour will overhaul the “antiquated” planning system to accelerate the building of critical infrastructure, under plans to be announced today.
>
>In her speech to the Labour Party’s annual conference this afternoon, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to unveil a raft of reforms to drive growth, create jobs and unlock private investment.
>
>The package will include a promise to update all national policy statements – which set out the types of projects needed by the country – within the first six months of a Labour government.
>
>Reeves will also pledge to fast track the planning process for priority growth areas of the economy, such as battery factories, laboratories and 5G infrastructure.
>
>“Unnecessary, egregious and time-consuming” litigation will be tackled by setting clearer national guidance for developers on the engagement and consultation expected with local communities, she will say.
>
>Business and communities are to be offered “a menu of potential incentives”, which could include cheaper energy bills, to ensure they benefit from proposed developments in their area.
>
>Labour also wants to recruit 300 new planning officers to boost public sector capacity and speed up planning decisions, a move funded by raising the stamp duty surcharge on non-UK residents.
>
>Reeves will use her speech to unveil a set of reforms that would “take head-on the obstacles presented by our antiquated planning system” and accelerate the building of critical infrastructure for energy, transport, and technology.
>
>These would “fast track battery factories, life sciences and 5G infrastructure and… tackle the litigation which devours time and money before we ever see shovels in the ground”, she will tell delegates in Liverpool.
>
>They would also “make sure that when a local community hosts critical national infrastructure, they will feel the benefits, including lower energy bills”.
>
>Describing HS2 as “the most expensive railway in the world”, Reeves will say that the single-biggest obstacle to building infrastructure, investment and growth is the Conservative Party.
>
>“If we want to spur investment, restore economic security and revive growth, then we must get Britain building again,” she will say.
Battery factories???? There’s a man with vision.
Do they realize our current electric grid cannot support everyone owning an electric vehicle.
I wonder how many things built under need fast track planning process will cause problems later. The next RAAC?
I work in the planning system as part of my job. It needs more than tweaking national policy statements and adjusting some permitted development rights to sort the planning system.
Its a system that works for nobody. Communities get ignored, infrastructure doesn’t get delivered, and sufficient housing doesn’t get built. So much attention is paid on designing buildings that look exactly like the others in very bland towns that nothing gets sorted.
Incentivise delivering infrastructure ahead of the new housing. Give tax breaks to redevelopment of brownfield land. Give councils more powers and more funding to build new homes. And change the planning system so that once a site is in a Local Plan, it has planning permission by default subject to any conditions. With a Local Plan based on meaningful community engagement that listens to not just the extremely loud.
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Article Text:
>Labour to overhaul ‘antiquated’ planning system
>
>09 OCT 2023 BY KERRY LORIMER
>
>Labour will overhaul the “antiquated” planning system to accelerate the building of critical infrastructure, under plans to be announced today.
>
>In her speech to the Labour Party’s annual conference this afternoon, shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to unveil a raft of reforms to drive growth, create jobs and unlock private investment.
>
>The package will include a promise to update all national policy statements – which set out the types of projects needed by the country – within the first six months of a Labour government.
>
>Reeves will also pledge to fast track the planning process for priority growth areas of the economy, such as battery factories, laboratories and 5G infrastructure.
>
>“Unnecessary, egregious and time-consuming” litigation will be tackled by setting clearer national guidance for developers on the engagement and consultation expected with local communities, she will say.
>
>Business and communities are to be offered “a menu of potential incentives”, which could include cheaper energy bills, to ensure they benefit from proposed developments in their area.
>
>Labour also wants to recruit 300 new planning officers to boost public sector capacity and speed up planning decisions, a move funded by raising the stamp duty surcharge on non-UK residents.
>
>Reeves will use her speech to unveil a set of reforms that would “take head-on the obstacles presented by our antiquated planning system” and accelerate the building of critical infrastructure for energy, transport, and technology.
>
>These would “fast track battery factories, life sciences and 5G infrastructure and… tackle the litigation which devours time and money before we ever see shovels in the ground”, she will tell delegates in Liverpool.
>
>They would also “make sure that when a local community hosts critical national infrastructure, they will feel the benefits, including lower energy bills”.
>
>Describing HS2 as “the most expensive railway in the world”, Reeves will say that the single-biggest obstacle to building infrastructure, investment and growth is the Conservative Party.
>
>“If we want to spur investment, restore economic security and revive growth, then we must get Britain building again,” she will say.
Battery factories???? There’s a man with vision.
Do they realize our current electric grid cannot support everyone owning an electric vehicle.
I wonder how many things built under need fast track planning process will cause problems later. The next RAAC?
I work in the planning system as part of my job. It needs more than tweaking national policy statements and adjusting some permitted development rights to sort the planning system.
Its a system that works for nobody. Communities get ignored, infrastructure doesn’t get delivered, and sufficient housing doesn’t get built. So much attention is paid on designing buildings that look exactly like the others in very bland towns that nothing gets sorted.
Incentivise delivering infrastructure ahead of the new housing. Give tax breaks to redevelopment of brownfield land. Give councils more powers and more funding to build new homes. And change the planning system so that once a site is in a Local Plan, it has planning permission by default subject to any conditions. With a Local Plan based on meaningful community engagement that listens to not just the extremely loud.