A peaceful path to real reform
Every morning this week, I have sat at my desk and looked at the “three magnet drawing” which was created by the founding father of the planning system, Ebenezer Howard.
It was produced in 1898 and presents the conflicting “push and pull” between town and country.
Frankly, little has changed. It is the same conflict played out in the current heated debate between the government and the National Trust. We all cherish the natural resources of our country and will continue to struggle to reconcile these concerns with the obvious need for growth and prosperity. That is what the planning system is all about.
I have always understood that the true planning balance is between a presumption in favour of development and the protection of the countryside for its own sake.
This simple Edwardian concept is the real “golden thread” that runs through the British planning system. The fact that the National Trust is so excited about the application of this presumption to “sustainable development” – is really to miss the point.
It is the clarity of the language used around the presumption that will have far more impact at the planning committee meeting or at inquiry.
There can be little doubt that the planning system is not fit for purpose and that much more needs to be done to support the development industry.
It should, however, be of real concern to both the development industry and the Treasury that these reforms have generated such public hostility – not least because that hostility will resonate with every planning application. In my view, it is the ensuing conflict and uncertainty that will be the real enemy of recovery.
Having (at last) engaged the public interest in the “magnetic” tensions of the British planning system, it is now the responsibility of government to engage in the debate and deliver a sustainable and reliable system.
Stuart Andrews, Partner, Eversheds LLP
