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Press Release

Barker Review of Planning: Interim Report

03.07.06

1. The interim report of the Review of Land Use Planning being carried out by leading economist Kate Barker is due to be published tomorrow (Tuesday). The Review, initiated by the Treasury and Department for Communities and Local Government, [1] will be a critical influence on the future of planning. CPRE believes planning is a vital tool for environmental protection and sustainable development. CPRE’s National Office is closed tomorrow, but spokespeople will be available for comment on the telephone numbers below.

2. Speculation in advance of Kate Barker’s Interim Report indicates that it will pose some fundamental questions about the kind of planning system this country needs. It is expected to:

  • Question planning controls over out of town retail development: CPRE believes these have helped bolster the fortunes of town centres throughout the country and restrain traffic growth, to the benefit of the environment, business and local communities;
  • Argue that we have too many statutory designations compared with other countries: CPRE believes that National Parks, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Conservation Areas and other designations have safeguarded much of what people value in the natural and built environment, improved our quality of life and have a critical role to play in securing sustainable development in future;
  • Press for the streamlining of planning decisions on major infrastructure projects, such as nuclear power stations and major transport schemes: CPRE believes that planning delays relating to such projects have been greatly exaggerated by Government. Well resourced public inquiries are essential in examining the detail of particular proposals and in securing public consent for necessary development.

3. CPRE will be engaging vigorously in the debate on the future of planning which has served this country so well over the past half century.

Footnote

1 Kate Barker, a member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee, has been tasked by Government to ‘consider how, in the context of globalisation, and building on the reforms already put in place in England, planning policy and procedures can better deliver economic growth and prosperity alongside other sustainable development goals.’



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