CPRE attacks Chancellor’s planning as ’misguided’

Responding to today’s Budget statement the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) condemned the Chancellor’s rhetoric on planning as misguided and dangerous.

The group also expressed deep concerns about the Government’s transport strategy and the suggestion that it is going soft on airport expansion in the South East.

Planning

Adam Royle, spokesman for CPRE, says: ’We heard yet more of the Chancellor’s misguided and dangerous rhetoric on planning today. If the Government undermines sound planning, it will put sustainable economic growth at risk. Countries like Germany show that good economic performance and strong planning systems can go hand in hand.

’We will have to wait until next Tuesday when the final planning framework is to be published to see if the voices of reason in Government will yet win out.


’From the Chancellor’s words we fear the longstanding protection for the wider countryside will be abandoned. That would mean that 55% of English countryside, including many locally loved green spaces, could be placed at the mercy of developers.

’Also extremely worrying is the suggestion that communities may not be given any time to ensure their local plans conform to the new framework . This could leave more then one third of areas that don’t currently have a plan exposed to a crude ’presumption in favour of sustainable development’.

’On the basis of the budget statement, the Government’s promise that the planning reforms are about empowering local people looks very hollow indeed.’

Transport

Ralph Smyth, Senior Transport Campaigner at CPRE, Says: ’The Government seems to be attempting to disguise a major u-turn on South East airport expansion as an economic aside. After responding to public opinion by pulling the plug on a third runway at Heathrow, the Government needs to hold its nerve against the turbulence of vociferous lobbying of the aviation industry.

’’Smart hubbing’ through better allocation of runway slots would provide all the additional passenger capacity needed, and avoid untold damage to the countryside including further loss of the rural tranquillity that remains in the South East of England.

’This is not a case of ’jobs versus the countryside’ or ’runways versus rural England’, but about tackling narrow minded and short sighted vested interests.’