The British Property Federation (BPF) has welcomed the government’s green paper on planning, but has warned that some proposals could jeopardise the delivery of an efficient planning system.
Will McKee, the BPF’s director general, said: “The green paper is very positive. This government has chosen to grasp the nettle of planning reform and it should be commended for doing so.”
However, he added that a number of the proposals appeared to run counter to the government’s ambition to improve efficiency. McKee said: “The proposal to limit permissions and consents to three years would deny the necessary flexibility and certainty to developers and investors contemplating lengthy major development projects.
“Similarly removing outline planning application permission for major developments would remove the flexibility sought by business occupiers in a rapidly changing market place.
“It is also difficult to imagine how the proposals to regularly update local development frameworks to reflect Community Strategies will deliver the degree of certainty required in a plan-led system.”
EGi News 13/12/01
