House of Commons · Westminster Hall
26 January 2023 · 3 other contributors · 11,284 words
Opened by Bob Seely Con Isle of Wight
Responding minister: Lucy Frazer
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Bob Seely raised concerns about planning in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The Government should provide compulsory purchase powers to local councils, expedite decision-making processes for projects like Camp Hill prison site, and recognise exceptional circumstances for islands when setting housing targets. These measures would help address unscrupulous development practices and enable more community-led regeneration efforts.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
The planning system has been top-down and developer-led, often disregarding the needs and wishes of local communities. There are over 1 million outstanding planning permissions, including more than 400,000 on brownfield sites that remain undeveloped due to land banking by large developers. Infrastructure spending is skewed towards London and the south-east, exacerbating population decline in northern cities.
More! Mr Mohindra praised the local planning process and commended the Government for listening to constructive criticism. He expressed concern about unscrupulous developers taking advantage of a five-year land supply deadline, which would put development in the wrong places. He highlighted that his constituency is 80% green belt with parks and open spaces as residents' favourite aspect. Mohindra advocated for strategic planning to ensure good outcomes for communities and called for more motivation to use brownfield sites effectively. Asked for reassurance that there is alternative provision available for constituents who are not digitally enabled to view plans and provide feedback, in the context of a drive towards digital viewing.
The planning system is failing to meet housing, amenity, and infrastructure needs. The opposition agrees that action is required on issues such as land banking, brownfield land development, compulsory purchase orders, and community participation. However, they fundamentally disagree with the current approach to national planning policy which prioritises political convenience over meeting objectively assessed housing need.
Mr Moore discussed the importance of community-led planning policies, focusing on housing development in his constituency. He highlighted concerns over inadequate infrastructure support for proposed developments, quality issues with new builds by developers like Harron Homes, and slow progress on industrial unit applications. He also raised issues regarding telecom masts and their placement within villages. He expressed frustration with Bradford Council's decision to remove public comments on planning applications from view, citing GDPR as the reason. He questioned whether other local authorities enable residents to see all comments on planning applications.
Government Response
Lucy FrazerMinister Lucy Frazer congratulated Bob Seely on securing the debate. She highlighted the Government's commitment to a planning system that is shaped around local communities, focusing on community buy-in and digitalization of processes. The minister mentioned measures within the Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill aimed at accelerating infrastructure development and ensuring efficient use of brownfield land. She also discussed tackling speculative development through compulsory purchase orders and referenced funding initiatives such as the £550 million brownfield housing fund, the £180 million brownfield land release fund 2, and the £4.3 billion housing infrastructure fund.