Land News

Barker to Review Planning Policies

Lawson Fairbank 9th December, 2005

Kate Barker, who is also a Housing Corporation board member, has been asked to rethink how planning policy should be overhauled, following the Treasury's review of housing supply to pinpoint more blockages in the planning system.

The Treasury's pre-Budget report said the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister wanted the new review to consider how planning policy could 'better deliver economic growth and prosperity alongside other sustainability goals'.

The review will look at making the planning system more flexible, transparent and predictable.

This week also saw the release of the long awaited consultation paper on PPS3 for housing from the ODPM. The planning guidebook forms part of its response to the Barker review's planning reforms. The new rules propose that the local authorities would have to put together a five-year supply of readily available land to ensure a rapid response to sudden house price rises.

And although the policy falls short of Ms Barker's original suggestion that councils should over-allocate land for housing development, it is being seen by policy experts as a good 'medium way' compromise.

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