Issue - meetings

To receive a report from the Executive Director Place setting out a Council response to the Government’s Planning White Paper – Planning for the Future. 

Councillor Caliskan moved and Councillor Savva seconded the report of the Executive Director Place on the Council’s response to the Government’s White Paper – Planning for the Future. 

NOTED

1.            Councillor Caliskan in proposing this report highlighted the following: 

·         The report set out the Council’s response to the Government consultation on major changes to the planning system.

·         The administration was supportive of some of the proposals in the consultation, including those which would streamline local planning processes, putting maps at the heart of local plans and increasing the role of good design.  But they were also very concerned about the government proposals and felt that they also should be of great concern to Enfield residents. Councillor Caliskan invited all councillors to add their voices and to ask the Government to urgently rethink the proposals. 

·         Although acknowledging that there was a need for more houses in Enfield, Councillor Caliskan thought that the Government was wrong to put all the blame for restricting development on the planning system.  This view was too simplistic. 

·         More clarity was needed on the mechanisms for distributing housing targets and a need to reflect specific local circumstances.  A large part of Enfield was made up of the green belt and strategic industrial land. 

·         On top of this the administration were very concerned that the proposals were a threat to local democratic decision making as they would effectively give national government control over local decision making. 

·         Concerns had been raised by many people and the proposals had been publicly criticised on all sides.  Local residents had strong view on planning matters which they had a right to have heard.  The views of residents’ matter. 

·         There was no mention of town centre regeneration.  Town centres were important areas for development and are often areas with quality heritage and great potential for growth. Residents want to be able to meaningfully influence the future of their town centres.

·         The uncertainty bought in by the white paper would hamper growth.

2.            The comments of the majority group including: 

·      Concern that although there were some positives most of the proposals in the consultation were negative and damaging to local democracy.

·      The planning system was not an obstacle to development.

·      Carbon neutral economic growth was important to quality of life.  There was no mention of the climate emergency.  The proposals could be damaging to environmental and ecological standards.  It was a missed opportunity to embed sustainability in the planning system. 

·      The proposals would do little to address the growing need for temporary accommodation, as there was no new funding to deliver new homes. 

·      Concern reflected in comments made at a recent Environment Forum about the threat to the green belt and the need to protect the natural and historic built environment

·      That this would be a developers’ charter and would take decision making away from local councils and affect the amount of fees the local authority could charge to pay for planning services. 

·      The proposals would result in the loss of office space and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6