Government plans to re-open the high street will fail unless the latest proposals to extend permitted development rights are reversed, the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) has warned.
In response to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s announcement today on the welcome continuation of business rates relief and new one-off Restart Grants, RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills said: “We all welcome the return of non-essential services to the high streets and local businesses will be helped by the announcements today. However, we are concerned that our high streets’ revival from the pandemic will be undermined by the proposals by Government to allow developers carte-blanche to turn our high street shops and services to residential without going through the democratic planning process that supports a mixed-use approach to placemaking. This will really impact local economies and communities at a time where it is vital we re-open our high streets.
“Housing supply could have been increased instead through Government loans guaranteed for developers to build on currently uneconomically viable sites within our cities and towns. We believe that the chancellor has missed a trick.”
Climate change
Elsewhere, the RTPI broadly welcomed a range of announcements, including the Green Infrastructure Bank, by the Chancellor to invest in a green economy, but said more resources were need for under-funded planning authorities if these ambitious aims were to be realised. There was no mention of extra funding for local authorities to support the Government’s place-based solutions to climate change.
RTPI research has found that whilst funding for planning has been cut drastically in recent years, planners have been responding real-time to extensive new burdens in the form of reforms and changes to the system in all nations.
To combat climate change, the RTPI also said that as well as focusing on technological solutions, such as floating offshore wind demonstration projects and long-duration energy storage prototypes, there should be more focus on a reduction in demand and consumption. Spatial planning plays a critical role in ensuring that new developments meet high standards of energy efficiency and minimise car dependency. Locating new homes in sustainable locations is paramount in realising the ambitions to achieving net zero.
Freeports
Also in today’s Budget, the Chancellor announced the creation of eight special economic zones in England, known as ‘freeports’. The RTPI welcomes the potential positive economic impacts of these freeports, particularly in supporting the levelling up of areas in England, but they must be part of a broader strategic policy framework and planned with surgical precision to avoid diversion and displacement of development.
Additionally, extending permitted development rights to develop these freeports risks encouraging a piecemeal, short-term approach unless adequate safeguards for beauty, ecological and environmental impacts are included. We would draw upon our earlier recommendation for Green Growth Boards who could play a key role in involving Local Planning Authorities, whose expertise can provide essential local knowledge and experience.
