I am glad to say that Mrs Spelman's statement in Harlow, has now been backed up in more detail, in a letter sent out to Conservative Councillors and MPs.
The good news is that Conservatives are pledged to abolish all the top down regional and national planning targets, that have imposed arbritrary housing targets across Essex and the East of England - without any genuine local consultation.
As Mrs Spelman notes, the choice at the next election will be clear:
"a vote for democratic accountability and sustainable development from Conservatives on one hand, or unelected, unwanted, unsustainable urban sprawl from a discredited and bullying Labour regime on the other".
Whilst I strongly recognise the need for an even bigger and better Harlow, you cannot build extra houses through central planning, without giving people a real say in what occurs.
Gordon Brown's housing plans are unnecessary, undemocratic and unsustainable. Not enough is being done to build on brownfield land, not enough has been done to really involve local people in the decision making process and no real pledges have been made (with financial resources) to guarantee the new infrastructure that will be a requirement if new housing is to be built.
It is important to note, that, the Conservatives are not saying no to any new housing. Far from it. We just believe that additional housing should be 'evolutionary' and sustainable. This means establishing new Local Housing Trusts to build local housing for local people, building on more brownfield land and incentivising Local Councils financially if they build new developments.
Caroline Spelman MP
SHADOW SECRETARY OF STATE FOR COMMUNITIES & LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Dear Colleague,
August 2009
Abolition of Regional Planning
Following the publication of our two recent policy papers on localism and housing (Control Shift and Strong Foundations), I have received a number of practical questions about the process for abolishing regional planning. As the issues are complex – a consequence of Labour’s convoluted legislation – I thought these would be best addressed in a letter.
Abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies
1) A Conservative Government will abolish the bureaucratic and undemocratic tier of regional planning. This will include the abolition of the Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) and the Regional Planning Bodies, the abolition of national and regional building targets, as well as the cancellation of the Labour Government’s plans to move the regional housing and planning powers to Regional Development Agencies and Regional Leaders’ Boards.
2) We anticipate primary legislation in the first year of a Conservative Government, as part of a broader Local Government and Housing Bill. Prior to primary legislation, we will consider whether to use the executive powers of the Secretary of State to revoke the Regional Spatial Strategies in whole or in part. We will also publish our draft policy changes and legislation – as part of a necessary process of consultation required in law. This in itself will have the status of ‘emerging policy’. Hence, even before primary legislation is passed, local authorities will have the ability to put the brakes on elements of Regional Spatial Strategies which they find undesirable (for example, Green Belt reviews imposed on them by the RSS).
3) Your local authority will be able to review their Local Development Frameworks to undo unwanted planning policies which the Regional Spatial Strategies had imposed upon them. In practice, such a review would be a partial revision – changing elements which are particularly unpopular or undesirable. The Local Development Framework regime, imposed by the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, has been so time-consuming and bureaucratic that I sense that there is little desire from local government colleagues to go back to square one, and start the whole torturous process from scratch.
Saying ‘No’ to the Labour Government
4) The Government’s whole Regional Spatial Strategy process is currently in disarray. High Court challenges have successful questioned the deletion of the Green Belt in the East of England, a series of High Court proceedings are challenging the South East RSS, and Ministers have delayed the publication of the final South West RSS to pre-empt similar legal challenges.
5) I recognise that many local authorities are currently in a difficult position, with Government Offices pressuring councils into moving ahead with their Core Strategies and associated Development Plan Documents, imposing the controversial elements demanded by the Regional Spatial Strategies. There is also an implied threat of cuts to central funding if councils do not fall into line, and the veiled suggestion of developers submitting planning applications based on the RSS, prior to any local plan adoption.
6) Such hectoring has a weak basis in fact. It is worth noting that the only financial penalty that the Government has is through the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant (HPDG), which is only partly based on targets on delivering elements in the Local Development Scheme. The sums of money are relatively small and there is only one final allocation round before the general election (likely to be in November 2009, based on data collected in summer/autumn 2009).
7) After that allocation, Labour Ministers have no other tool to bully councils. Under a Conservative Government, there will not be a third round of HPDG funding, as we have pledged to replace the grant with a simpler, clearer incentive scheme to allow councils to benefit from council tax and business rate revenue growth.
8) We will not pay a penny of compensation to speculative developers as a consequence to changes in planning policy. This principle is well established: government planning policy changes frequently. Notwithstanding, we cannot reverse any individual planning application that has been granted in full following all due process and a fair hearing.
The General Election
9) There is, of course, absolutely no guarantee of the election of a Conservative Government: we still have a lot more to do to win the public’s trust and secure a firm democratic mandate. But there is an immovable date of a general election in under a year. As part of councils’ contingency planning, like any responsible business, you may wish to ask your council officers to prepare both for the continuation of current government policy (in the event of a Labour win), and for the radical change of government policy (in the event of a Conservative win).
10) The general election brings with it regulatory uncertainty. In this context, especially given the current legal challenges, we would advise councils not to rush ahead with implementing the controversial elements of Regional Spatial Strategies, expending time and taxpayers’ money that may be wasted. Ultimately, councillors should seek to serve the best interests of their residents while operating within the law, rather than jump to the latest arbitrary demands from Whitehall or the Regional Government Offices.
11) I would encourage councils to say ‘no’ when the Government attempts to force your council to act at a speed which is not a binding legal necessity. Given the likelihood of a general election by May 2009 and the prospect of ‘emerging policy’ after that, the planning process will not be sufficiently delayed in a way that would allow developers to submit speculative bids based on the current RSS.
Promoting sustainable housing
12) Such an approach should be taken in the context of the broader reforms outlined in our recent green papers to encourage more sustainable housing. These include allowing councils to keep the proceeds of council tax and business rate receipt growth from new development, the creation of new Local Housing Trusts to promote the construction of local housing for members of the local community, and freeing up more public sector brownfield land for redevelopment.
Yours ever,
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