Reacting to the announcement of Neighbourhood Planning and Infrastructure Bill in the Queen’s Speech today Richard Hebditch, External Affairs Director at the National Trust said: “It sounds like there could be some positive measures around neighbourhood planning in the new Bill, but overall we’re concerned that further reforms could create more confusion and uncertainty about…
As we’ve explained through this blog in recent weeks, the National Trust is becoming increasingly concerned about the piecemeal, rushed and confusing way in which the Government is making changes to the planning system. Here we discuss our response to two recent Government consultations – on the findings of the Local Plans Expert Group and…
On Monday Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) released research showing that housing development proposed for the Green Belt has increased by another 50,000 to more than a quarter of a million houses. CPRE’s analysis comes in the context of Government’s proposed changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which will relax some restrictions…
As the Government continues its review of the planning process, we explore what the proposals could mean for the places we care for, for places of natural beauty and historic interest, and for the wider countryside. Less than four years after the Government adopted the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – the central set of…
We blogged about the new BIMBY (Beauty-In-My-Back-Yard) toolkit back in November, at the start of its pilot phase. We were delighted to play our part in yesterday’s event showing how The Prince’s Foundation for Building Community’s new online toolkit is assisting communities in having their say on new housing in their area. By 2021, it…
A cross-party Committee of the House of Lords has today criticised the Government’s housing and planning policy as ‘short-sighted’ and has said that the drive for more homes must not come at the expense of quality. In a new report, published today, the House of Lords Committee on National Policy for the Built Environment has…
Further to the relaxation of planning protections for the green belt proposed yesterday by the government, the National Trust said: “We are concerned and will be looking closely at the implications of what is being proposed. “Green Belt prevents urban sprawl, keeping town and villages distinct and special, which is why we think it is…
