Local MP Slams Government’s Proposed Changes to Planning Process

21 December 2020

Last week Wera Hobhouse, MP for Bath, heavily criticised proposed changes to the planning process, first published by Government on 6th August in the Planning for the Future White Paper.

Bath’s MP spoke during a Westminster Hall debate in the final week of Parliament, arguing that the planning White Paper was a “regressive step rather than a progressive step”. She also spoke about the failure of the Government to identify where the blocks to new housing were, saying that in Bath “1,500 homes are permitted to be built” by the Council but “the issue is the developers not building the homes”.

Following the debate Wera Hobhouse said:

“Government proposals in this White Paper will seriously undermine democratic accountability and give developers a green light to run roughshod over local communities' wishes.

“These proposals are very blunt tools to calculate housing need. They do not take geographical or other local constraints into account and will invariably lead to more development in unsustainable or inappropriate places.

“Most importantly the proposals will do nothing to build the hundreds of social homes for rent that this country – and places like Bath - so desperately need.”