Labour Party planning review

CLA - Country Land and Business Association Limited logo

The Labour Party has launched a new Planning Commission at its 2018 Conference to review the planning system. Recommendations include giving local communities a say in the process and measures to improve land supply, including changes compulsory purchase.

The CLA represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses across England and Wales.

CLA Director of Policy and Advice Christopher Price said: “People who live and work in the countryside have similar aspirations for better jobs, housing, transport and services to those living in urban areas. The planning system has the opportunity to deliver this with a more proportionate and cost-effective approach to building the right type of development in the right place and at the right time. We look forward to working with the commission to make the planning system better meet the need for rural economic growth.

“Compulsory purchase of land should only ever be a last resort to increasing land supply. The current system of capturing the increase in land values already has the means to fund investment in infrastructure such as housing. We do not support any changes that would make the process even more complex and adversarial and would welcome the opportunity to engage constructively with the commission on this issue.

“Better resourcing of local planning authority departments and the Planning Inspectorate so that staff have the right skills and training would be a more worthwhile way to invest in the planning process to ensure economic development is delivered across our countryside.”