Skip to content

Planning reforms – CPRE Hampshire letter to Hampshire MPs

27th August 2020

We have written to our Hampshire MPs early in the current consultations for the Planning White Paper (deadline 29th October) and the accompanying Changes to the Planning System (deadline earlier 1st October), so that we can let them know of our concerns and those of our many members.

CPRE Hampshire was recently party to a meeting with Robert Jenrick MP and he confirmed that he was listening to CPRE’s long experience of planning and our wisdom and views were much appreciated.

There are many aspects of the PWP that we would support. The ambition to bridge the generational divide; the emphasis on strict design codes; the commitment to streamlining the Local Plan process and the determination to involve many more local people and their communities into the Planning process are all welcomed.

However, we also have substantial concerns about the proposals and many of them stem from the consequences of the algorithms used in the various calculations which may be unintended. These algorithms produce a number of distortions which fundamentally undermine the stated intentions of the Government’s proposals.

These proposals would:

1. Transfer development from urban to rural areas

2. Make housing in Hampshire even less affordable

3. Deprive the most disadvantaged regions of investment

But the overwhelming flaw that our members see in the proposals is that the changes proposed are not necessary to meet the Government’s stated target. Read our letter in full here: Letter to Hampshire MPs re planning reforms 25 August 2020 – we would encourage as many members and non-members as possible to submit your own responses to the public consultations (links below) and/or to write to your local MP. You are welcome to use our letter to Hampshire MPs as a template to help you with this. You may also find this website useful – WriteToThem.

Consultation links:
Changes to the current planning system – seeking views on changes to planning policy and regulations – closes 1 October 2020 www.gov.uk/government/consultations/changes-to-the-current-planning-system

Planning for the future – consultation on proposals for reform of the planning system in England – closes 29 October 2020 www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future