Housing Minister Christopher Pincher has urged Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) members to get involved in the government’s consultation on reforms to the planning system in England.
The government says that the proposed reforms, outlined in the Planning for the Future White Paper, will streamline and modernise the planning process, and bring a new focus to design and sustainability.
Mr Pincher (see video below) was speaking yesterday alongside Cllr David Simmonds CBE MP at the Conservative Party Conference fringe event organised by the RTPI, CIOB, RIBA and RICS entitled How can Planning for the Future deliver the high quality, well-designed homes we need?
Addressing RTPI members, Mr Pincher said: "Thank you for all that you are doing during this emergency … I know how hard you are all working to keep housebuilding on track, helping build the homes of the future for the people of our country."
Mr Pincher outlined his desire "to democratise our planning system, making planning much more strategic and upfront, and that means planners can be real planners. It means that we can focus on better quality, greener and more sustainable homes. And we can focus on design, removing from the system the 'anywhere-ville' identikit homes that too many people complain about."
He also urged the sector to input into the consultation, "conscious that in amongst the opportunities in the White Paper you’ve got some questions and some concerns." Following the consultation period and further down the line in implementation, the Minister recognized that "we will need your expert help in the workstreams that get us there."
Yesterday’s event was chaired by RTPI President Sue Manns FRTPI (pictured) and also featured RTPI Chief Executive Victoria Hills, RIBA President Alan Jones, RICS Policy Manager Tamara Hooper and Joseph Kilroy of CIOB.
Speaking after Mr Pincher, Victoria Hills said that she was pleased that planning was now a ‘top table’ discussion in Government, recognised as crucial for leading the country out of the pandemic and into a green recovery. She also stressed that resourcing would be key to delivering an efficient planning system that meets government objectives on housing, beauty, climate, health and the economy.
David Simmonds, Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner, said that one of his aims as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Planning was to look at the connection between national planning policies and local issues, as well as have more joined-up conversations across government about how planning can be made to 'deliver better in the long term'.
Over the last few weeks, the RTPI has organised a series of roundtables with selected members from across the English regions to inform its detailed response to the White Paper and has also encouraged members to get in touch with their views via email. A formal response will be submitted in due course.
