Developers will be able to build ‘whatever, wherever and whenever’ they want if local communities resort to nimbyism.
John Howell MP, Parliamentary Private Secretary to Greg Clark, the Minister for Decentralisation, said local communities would have to actively put growth at the heart of their plans in future.
Speaking at a seminar organised by the British Property Federation, he said councils that failed to plan for new development would be “assumed to have a completely permissive planning system”.
A developer could then build “what they like, where they like and when they like” provided they met new national planning guidance being worked up in tandem with the localism bill.
Howell said: “I think that is an extremely good incentive for councils.
“When we have got waiting lists for housing and a community that doesn’t want to build anything – that does not meet the sustainability test.”
Liz Peace, chief executive of the British Property Federation, welcomed the remarks. She said: “The property industry’s greatest fear was that the localism agenda would lead to greater nimbyism.
“These comments have gone some way to easing concerns, with a clear emphasis on localism being used as a vehicle to drive growth and development rather than encouraging communities to opt out.”
The seminar on ‘Localism Bill: Community Empowerment or Nimby’s Charter?’ also heard from Jim Fennell, managing director of town planning consultants Nathanial and Partners.
He said developers should look “for councils and neighbourhoods that are open for business”.
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Comments
So, you live somewhere that is full up and now a developer can come along and sqeeze shoe-boxes without any gardens or any sense in the interior design and then proclaim look! there is need.... only because there are no good houses out there being built with any real design input for the ordianary folk. If there is very little space, ordinary builders have absolutely no idea what to do with it except plonk miniature versions of their horrid layouts all crowded together.
That is why places don't want more housing, because they care about the sort of houses that can actually be built on the space available, they know the houses will only be taken by the absolutely desperate, and that is a case of 'there but for the Grace of God go I' if I wouldn't want to live in one of those rabbit hutches why on earth would I vote to have them built?