Planning for people
The English planning system is under review. This video explains the issues and loopholes that lie in the current (and proposed) planning policy. It describes how we’d like to shape it to work for local people and the countryside, rather than to profit developers. Find out more at www.cpre.org.uk/planningforpeople
Script
the countryside is important for us all
it's where we grow our food and
experience the beauty of nature it's
both a workplace and a home for many
people as the countryside and its social
fabric changes we need to make sure that
any development that takes place is good
for rural communities and the
environment but our green fields are too
often seen as a blank canvas waiting to
be built on with the interest of local
communities local character and the
environment ignored it doesn't have to
be this way the planning system should
enable us to shape how our land develops
and make sure it's used in everyone's
best interests while protecting the
green spaces we cherish it should
balance competing demands for the use of
land encourage the good development that
helps communities thrive while
protecting the environment and restrict
the bad development that doesn't but the
current system is failing and our
planning rules are full of pitfalls and
loopholes that undermine these important
goals national policy too often
encourages developers to build profit
rather than what people need the
government's target driven approach to
house building means councils don't
always have the ability to resist
development they know will cause harm
when bad development decisions are
forced on local communities it can have
devastating consequences from reductions
in affordable housing and community
infrastructure to lost green spaces and
missed opportunities to redevelop
derelict land the government should
tighten up its policies to make sure
community and environmental interest
come first
planning empowers local people to create
a vision for where they live and to work
with their council to create a plan for
housing services and infrastructure
while protecting our green space
but councils and communities need to
know that the government will back them
to only approve development that
fulfills this plan government policy who
must change to make this a reality a
better planning system would deliver the
best of elevant possible to meet the
needs of people places and the
environment we want a system that is
accessible accountable to local people
and promote sustainable use of our land
then we'll have thriving places that
work for all of us and a countryside to
enjoy