The BPF has labelled government brownfield proposals “a blunt tool in such straitened times”.
The industry body was invited to respond to a consultation on a proposal that councils be designated “poorly performing” if they do not have local development orders in place for 90% of brownfield by 2020.
This designation would then allow developers to apply directly to the secretary of state for planning permission.
The BPF response highlights how authorities are already struggling owing to a lack of resources. As a consequence, local development orders are slow to develop.
The proposals also overlook the fact that issues such as contamination and strategic access are often more important than planning concerns.
The BPF has also raised questions over the definition of suitable brownfield land. The organisation asks how a council is to determine whether a site is “free of constrain” and whether development is “deliverable”.
The uncertainty caused by this vagueness could have unintended consequences on land values and serve to disincentivise development, according to the BPF.
The report concludes: “The existence or not of LDOs will not be the critical factor in bringing forward such sites. As now, it will be the viability, desirability and suitability of land for housing, balanced with the need and demand for other employment-generating uses.”
