Rushcliffe MP Ruth Edwards made the case to reform the planning system and remove the Duty to Cooperate, which has seen excessive development pushed onto Rushcliffe’s countryside.
Speaking in the Second Reading of the Levelling Up and Regeneration bill, Ruth made the case to pass these ambitious planning reforms and protect our area from overdevelopment.
Ruth explained that this bill offers a huge course correction which will strengthen Local and Neighbourhood Plans. It will give councils the confidence to turn down unwanted or speculative applications which are not in their plans. It ensures that development would be built on brownfield land first.
Ruth said:
“For too long, communities in Rushcliffe have felt that the planning system is not on their side.
For too long, councils such as Rushcliffe Borough Council have not been able to get the backing they need to prevent overdevelopment and inappropriate development.
For too long, developers have used the planning system to their advantage, not listening to local people and only building out developments when it suits them.”
Ruth also welcomed proposals in the bill to introduce mandatory local design codes, so that developers have to respect styles drawn up locally, from the layout and materials used to the provision of green spaces.
The Levelling up and Planning Bill will transform how the planning system works. Included within the bill are measures to simplify the process of making Local Plans, further protections for the environment and actions to tackle ‘land banking’, where developers get permission to build homes but leave a site empty or half-finished for many years.
The Bill also reforms the payments developers must make. introducing a locally set, non-negotiable infrastructure levy which means that developers would always have to pay their share. This will mean that roads, schools and GPs surgeries will come with development, not after it.
Ruth Said:
“The Bill resolves many of the concerns that my constituents have most often raised with me, including the fact that too many homes are built in the countryside, rather than on brownfield sites.
It strikes the balance between building the homes we need and ensuring that they are built in the right places: strengthening local plans and providing greater protections for the environment.
This Bill represents the turn of the tide—an important and transformational step forward for the hard-pressed communities who have seen unwelcome development and who feel powerless in the face of large developers.”
