The National Trust’s objections to the National Planning Policy Framework appear to be easing after David Cameron joined the debate.
In a letter to the National Trust, the Prime Minister offered personal assurances that environmental benefits of developments will be assessed before new projects are given the go-ahead.
The Trust said today: “The Prime Minister’s assurances that the planning changes will maintain this balance open the way to constructive dialogue on the details of the Framework.”
In a letter to Dame Fiona Reynolds, the National Trust’s director-general, Cameron said: “I believe that sustainable development has environmental and social dimensions as well as an economic dimension, and we fully recognise the need for a balance between the three.
“Indeed, the purpose of the planning system as a whole, and of our proposals for it, is to achieve such a balance.”
Reynolds responded: “Our primary concern for the planning system is that it should be a neutral framework which balances the needs of society, the environment, as well as the economy.
“It is a great relief to hear from the Prime Minister that there is no intention to change this overriding purpose.”
But she added that there is work still to be done before the National Trust’s demands on changes to the planning reforms are satisfied.
Tomorrow Reynolds will join planning minister Greg Clark for a debate over the NPPF, which will replace more than 1,000 pages of planning regulations with just 52 pages.
British Property Federation chief executive Liz Peace said: “The Prime Minister’s assurances that the draft NPPF does indeed mean what it says are welcome. Hopefully they will set the stage for a constructive debate that will help us to reform our glacially-slow planning system.
“As ministers consult on the draft NPPF it is entirely right that legitimate concerns are raised, and that these are discussed in a level-headed way. We have been in contact with a range of groups, including the National Trust and the RSPB, to find common ground. Indeed this has always been our preferred way of working to achieve sensible compromise.”
Nick.whitten@estatesgazette.com
