Proposed planning system changes labelled ‘a disaster’ for Adur and Worthing

Councillors in Adur and Worthing have spoken out against proposed changes to the planning system, warning that they would be a ‘disaster’ for the area.
The changes would lead to more house building in West Sussex. Photo: PixabayThe changes would lead to more house building in West Sussex. Photo: Pixabay
The changes would lead to more house building in West Sussex. Photo: Pixabay

A Government consultation into the proposals, which include altering the way housing figures are calculated, comes to a close on Thursday.

The proposals would see Adur’s housing requirement rise from 248 to 326 homes per year, according to figures from planning and development consultancy Lichfields.

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Councillor Joss Loader said: “Adur is one of the smallest district councils in the UK and has fixed geographical boundaries by way of the sea and The Downs.

“We can’t shoe-horn in more homes, just because the Government tells us to.

“Without new infrastructure – particularly investment in roads, schools and NHS facilities – these proposals are doomed when it comes to winning public support.

“To me, it looks like a Developers’ Charter.”

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She added: “I’ve got no aversion to Government proposals which reduce red tape and harness technology but it shouldn’t be at the expense of the planning system’s relationship with local democracy.

“It’s undoubted that people need good quality, affordable new homes but I remain sceptical that this will happen - particularly as the definition of affordable can be misleading.”

Meanwhile, councillor Martin McCabe said Worthing would be ‘hit hard’ by the proposed changes to the planning system, which he described as ‘a disgrace’.

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He said: “We’ve already seen an application in Tarring that shows the dangerous road we’re now heading down.

“Applications that would previously have been rejected could now go through on the nod.

“That means local people being left without a voice.

“Greedy developers can run roughshod over our community and put profits before people.

“We could well end up with a generation of slum dwellings. It’s a disaster for Worthing.”

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Mr McCabe has proposed a motion, which will go to full council next month, which asks the Council to send the following letter to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.

It reads: “We acknowledge the need for reform of the planning system in order to build the homes we desperately need.

“However, we are concerned that if these reforms go ahead, they could harm the quality of new local housing developments in Worthing.

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“We are concerned about the ‘Planning for the Future’ recommendations on extending Permitted Development Rights (PDRs). Many PDRs fail to meet national space standards, lacking amenity space and suffering from low quality design and poor locations.

“We fear this could have wide ranging impacts on our local transport and community facilities, without sufficient Section 106 agreements or Community Infrastructure Levy contributions to offset the costs associated with provision of community infrastructure.

“We are concerned that these proposals risk jeopardising the public’s trust by creating poor-quality accommodation as standard.

“We urge the government to avoid drifting into a planning policy regime that could produce misery and tragedy for occupants.”

Explainer: What has the Government proposed?

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An eight-week Government consultation on changes to current planning policies and regulations comes to a close on Thursday.

Those changes include altering the way housing figures are calculated – replacing the current local housing need with local housing requirements, essentially adding 300,000 homes per year to the nationwide figures.

In West Sussex, the changes would see an extra 2,234 homes built each year.

The Government also proposes to temporarily lift the small sites threshold, below which developers do not need to contribute to affordable housing, to up to 40 or 50 units.

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This would support small and medium-sized builders as the economy recovers from the impact of Covid-19, it said.

It would also extend the current Permission in Principle to major development, which will give landowners and developers a fast route to secure the principle of development for housing on sites without having to work up detailed plans first.

The Government claims the measures will improve the effectiveness of the current planning system.

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To have your say on the proposals before 11.45pm on Thursday, visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/MHCLG-Changes-to-the-current-planning-system/

The Government has also published its ‘planning for the future’ White Paper – which proposes a new planning system.

The White Paper divides land into three categories – growth, renewal and protected.

In growth areas, outline permission would be automatically given for developments specified in a council’s local plan; renewal areas would be seen as suitable for some development; and protected areas would see development restricted.

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Councils would also be able to set aside land in ‘growth’ areas for self-built and custom-built homes.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “The current planning system is complicated, favours larger developers and often means that much needed new homes are delayed.

“We’re proposing a new system which is easier for the public to access, transforms the way communities are shaped and builds the homes this country needs.

“The changes will mean more good quality, attractive and affordable homes can be built faster – and more young families can have the key to their own home.”

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The proposals would also change the way that developers contribute to the cost of affordable housing and other new infrastructure such as schools, roads and GP surgeries.

A new national levy would replace the existing Section 106 agreements and the Community Infrastructure Levy, which the Government said would be ‘simpler’ and would ‘provide more certainty about the number of affordable homes being built’.

The White Paper also proposes that all new streets should be tree-lined and that all new homes should be ‘zero carbon ready’, with no new homes delivered under the new system needed to be retrofitted.

A consultation on the proposals ends on October 29.

To have your say on the proposals, visit www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/MHCLG-Planning-for-the-Future/

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