The Planning and Infrastructure Bill has received a mixed reaction in its second reading in the House of Lords, with some Peers expressing ”serious concerns” with the proposed legislation.
Introducing the Bill, Lord Khan of Burnley (Housing, Communities and Local Government), confirmed that it would,
“Make further changes to streamline decision-making in the planning system to ensure that the system operates as effectively and efficiently as possible.”
Khan added that the consultation published proposed splitting planning applications into two tiers,
“Providing certainty about what decisions will be delegated to expert officers and at the same time ensuring that councillors can continue to focus on the most significant proposals for housing and commercial developments.”
He attempted to reassure Peers that this,
“Would not undermine the important role that planning committees play in providing local democratic oversight of planning decisions. Instead, it will ensure that planning committees play their proper role in scrutinising development to the best standard possible and without delay.”
However several Lords had serious concerns: Conservative peer Baroness Coffey called the Bill “an affront to democracy,” adding:
“What worries me about removing decisions from local councillors and giving it to planning officers is that we now have even more housing targets going into the countryside.”
Crossbench Peer Lord Best commented:
“The reliance on the large housebuilders has not produced the quantity or quality of homes we need. It has seen development of expanses of greenfield land in preference to small sites and brownfield schemes that can regenerate whole neighbourhoods. It has put SME builders out of business—down from building 40% of new homes to just 10% since 2000. It has not created apprenticeships and a trained workforce, and there has been little innovation or use of modern methods of construction.”
He added:
“The housebuilders have worked at a pace that suits themselves—a build-out rate that ensures no reduction in house prices. Surely, now is the time for a model that is driven by what is best for the place in question.”