Council calls for government planning reform rethink

Hackney Council has told the government that proposed planning reforms will undermine local democracy, fail to tackle the housing crisis and lead to poorer quality new development.

The proposals, set out in the government’s Planning for the Future white paper last year, would see a raft of changes aimed at simplifying the planning process, which the Council passed a motion describing as ‘fundamentally flawed’ in July 2021.

Hackney Council is calling for a rethink of rules that could strip local residents of their right to participate in planning decisions.

In a joint letter to Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick, the council said: “In Hackney, we’re committed to ensuring a fair recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, and a Council and community-led planning system is vital to ensuring that local people are the first to benefit from change. We strongly believe that our borough’s town centres and high streets can succeed in the long-term and that our policies – delivered through an effective, efficient and locally accountable Local Planning Authority – can help deliver on the priorities of a growing community, including the delivery of genuinely affordable housing and workspace.

“We believe planning works best when local communities, councillors, councils, landowners and developers work together to shape local neighbourhoods to deliver much-needed new homes and workspaces, alongside coordinating the funding and delivery of neighbourhood-based infrastructure. We therefore request that the government reviews the Planning Reform White Paper to protect the right of local communities to object to individual planning applications and protect their right to engage with all aspects of the planning process.”