Action on Climate Emergency (ACE)

Thursday’s debate in the Commons on Thursday about the government’s plans to centralise and accelerate the housebuilding process in England shows that they are going to face serious problems in getting their measures passed by their own supporters.

The debate which lasted just under three hours was organised by Conservative MP, Bob Seely, who introduced his non-binding motion on the Government which called “…on the Government to delay any planned implementation of the changes to the standard method for assessing local housing need proposed by the Government’s consultation, Changes to the Current Planning System, published on 6 August 2020, and Proposal 4 of the Government’s consultation, Planning for the Future, on a standard method for establishing housing requirement, until this House has had the opportunity to hold a debate and meaningful vote on their introduction.”

Continue reading “Government changes to planning laws face serious criticisms”

We’ve just heard from the CPRE, the Countryside Charity, that MPs will be debating the government’s damaging proposals to deregulate planning on the morning of Thursday 8 October.  Events are moving fasts, so we need to be quick to react to opportunities like this. This debate is the perfect chance to put ministers on the spot and show them just how serious opposition to these damaging measures are.  

Please email Julian Smith MP now with your concerns and ask him to attend the debate. He can be contacted at: julian.smith.mp@parliament.uk His office ‘phone number is 0207 219 7145.

The government is on shaky ground with this proposed legislation, the biggest shake-up of planning for decades. Almost 40,000 people have signed the CPRE petition opposing the damaging proposals, which will  weaken democratic involvement in local planning matters by giving developers automatic planning permission for some types of work. Thousands more have emailed MPs, so don’t miss this opportunity to make your voice heard.