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MPs criticise 'chaotic' government failures in planning

A report out today by the Communities and Local Government Committee has said the long term failures of the planning system risk “paralysis or chaotic and under-regulated growth”, threatening housing and regeneration targets.

The committee has said that there are too few planners and that many lack the necessary skills to do their jobs, adding that “despite these problems being recognised for more than a decade, little has been done to rectify them”.

The British Property Federation (BPF) has welcomed the findings but urged action, saying that the glut of government studies and consultations needs to be replaced by real improvements.

The trade body for the UK property industry, representing developers, investors and advisers, also says that local councillors must get proper training before making decisions on which planning applications to approve and reject..

Liz Peace, chief executive of the BPF, said:

”The majority of this report is welcome, but it’s time for some action after a decade of frustration. Our over-complex and unresponsive planning system costs businesses and the taxpayer millions and is putting regeneration and economic growth at risk. One of the principal problems is the lack of suitably trained and experienced planning officers; it needs to be tackled by serious investment in planning as a career for graduates and a recognition of the skills needed to make the whole system run efficiently.

“Local councillors must also get proper training. It is incredible that those involved in a quasi-judicial process do not have to have formal training. You wouldn’t hire an accountant or lawyer without the appropriate certificate, so how can councillors take big decisions about developments without an understanding of, amongst other things, development economics?

“However, it is pointless beefing up skills and numbers if they are then employed on low level tasks that do not require that level of skills. We need to ensure that the skilled planners we do have are used on ‘quality’ planning issues and not diverted onto domestic cases that could well be dealt with by a technician.”

This report follows a parliamentary inquiry earlier in the year. The BPF’s own planning manifesto will be launched in September fully outlining the BPF’s vision for the future of planning.

For more information or interview, contact Emily Iwan, BPF press officer on 020 7802 0110 or Andrew Teacher, head of media for the British Property Federation, on 07968 124545 or ateacher@bpf.org.uk.