As a Government consultation on assessing housing need closes, we take a look at the implications of proposed changes on the National Trust and protected landscapes, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Our consultation response agrees that a standard approach to assessing housing need would be helpful, but questions whether existing house prices should…
As the Government puts the final touches to the Housing White Paper, the National Trust and Local Government Information Unit (LGiU) has launched new evidence which points to a lack of local democracy in the English planning system. In a survey of 1,200 ward councillors across England, conducted by LGiU, 72% of councillors say that the system…
Today we publish some new in-depth academic research and a set of policy recommendations on planning protections for National Parks, with our colleagues at the Campaign for National Parks, and CPRE. Last summer, the world’s largest potash mine (in terms of volume) was approved within the North York Moors National Park – despite seemingly strong…
Over the weekend the National Trust launched new research on how the planning system is working in England. Positive Planning – the NPPF and plan-led development’ finds that flaws in the Government’s planning rules are allowing developers to build housing in inappropriate locations, side-stepping sites allocated in Local Plans. This is how it was reported…
At the National Trust’s AGM on Saturday, our outgoing Chairman Sir Simon Jenkins – as he bids farewell to members – will give his views on the current state of the planning system. His thoughts have also been reported this week in the Telegraph, Guardian, and Daily Express. Sir Simon comments on the positions of different political…
Two years after the National Planning Policy Framework was implemented the Communities and Local Government Committee in Parliament is having a look at it to see how it’s working on the ground. The National Trust fed their views into the creation of the NPPF and we’ve been giving feedback to the committee as part of…
In 2011 the government passed the Localism Act. The Act enables communities to create Neighbourhood Plans through which they can shape the places in which they live. Three years on, we’ve taken a look at the first 20 Plans to see what’s in them. The Plans play a dual role, not only allowing neighbourhoods to…
Today Sir Michael Lyons published the findings of a major review of Housing and Planning policy commissioned nine months ago by the Labour leader Ed Miliband. Housing has become one of the top political issues in recent years, and especially since house building rates fell following the recession and have so far failed to recover.…
We welcome that Sir Michael Lyons’ review does not propose a further shake up of national planning policies, and recognises that many of the problems with undersupply of housing lie with the market rather than failures of the planning system. We agree that the nation needs more homes, and will look carefully at proposals…
In this series of blog posts Ellie Dewdney will be keeping you up to date with current issues that could affect Britain’s most special places and what the National Trust are doing to preserve these national treasures. For those of you out there who haven’t come across it the National Planning Policy Framework (or the…
