CPRE: Put communities at the heart of planning

We have all seen the positive effects that a Neighbourhood plan can have in local planning - outlining preferred locations and and the number of new houses; it is possible this may change and the Campaign to Protect Rural Engalnd is askign that concerned people write tot heir local MP, they have even supplied a useful online form!

"The government is reviewing an important piece of policy that could change the shape of the English countryside for ever. It is rewriting the National Planning Policy Framework – the rules that determine what kind of houses are built, where they go, and whether it is communities or developers who are at the heart of those decisions.

The outcome will have a huge impact on issues such as safeguarding protected landscapes, the provision of rural affordable housing and guaranteeing that local communities’ voices are heard on developments in their area.

The current proposals, however, just continue the government’s failed approach to housing that has done nothing to help people afford homes. As it stands, people still won’t get the affordable homes they need, while more countryside will be lost unnecessarily - permanently. We need to solve the housing crisis and protect our countryside, but this just isn’t the way to do it.

We only have a few weeks to make a difference, so please email your MP today asking them to make sure that changes made are good for communities and the countryside we love. "

https://takeaction.cpre.org.uk/page/23087/action/1