The Government has proposed some major changes to the planning system, which are rightly causing considerable concern, particularly the proposed reduction in consultation, thereby removing much of the ability for local people and local authorities to influence the development in their area, and the potential increase in the housing targets.
Here in Shepway, the current target set out in the Core Strategy Review is 738 new homes per year. We are not promising to stop the Otterpool Garden Town development because of the need to meet this target and the consequences of failing to do so. However we cannot see how sufficient suitable land could be found in the district to meet an even higher target.
Hythe Town Council has this on its agenda for its next Plans & Works Committee and will submit a response; it is also anticipated that there will also be a response from the District Council. Opposition to the changes is coming from across the political divides. As a branch, we are also feeding our views back to the national Green Party.
There are too many changes to list here but we would urge you to read the two consultation papers and take part in the consultations.
Changes to the Current Planning System: click here
The deadline for responding to this is 1st October.
Planning for the Future: click here
The deadline for this is 28th October
This video explains the principles behind the white paper: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE6KD4K8ugk
And this bulletin from CPRE is a good summary of the proposals and includes reactions from various organisations: click here
