Two Cornish councillors lead the fight against planning changes

Two experienced councillors have launched a grassroots campaign against government plans to introduce large changes to the planning system.

Malcolm Brown and Jackie Bull who both sit on St Austell Town Council and also represent areas of the town at Cornwall Council say they will challenge the proposals which could see councils lose control of planning decisions.

The government recently published a planning white paper which proposes reform of the planning system in England.

It says that this would “streamline” the planning process, cut red tape and make it easier to get new homes for local communities built.

But critics say that it would lead to developments going ahead without any proper public scrutiny and against the wishes of local people.

The government plans would mean that areas would be earmarked for development and then there would be no need for planning permission to be granted by local councils.

It could result in little control over developments and local people would not be able to have their say over developments.

Cllrs Brown and Bull are also concerned that the government has stated that developments of 50 homes or less would not have to provide any affordable housing.

The two Liberal Democrat councillors have put together a motion that they will present to St Austell Town Council on Monday (Sept7) opposing the proposed changes to the planning system. They also plan to draw up a similar motion to present to Cornwall Council.

Cllr Brown said:“I am very confident this motion will be passed; it will be shameful if it is not.”

Cllr Bull said: “I have been very honoured to chair Cornwall Council’s Central Planning Committee for the last three years. I know that many decisions, whether made by councillors or officers, are unpopular with some people. That’s probably bound to be the case but we do our best and I am certain this new system would not give local communities and residents anything like as much say about what happens in their area. Over the years I have worked very closely with the SOUL group. On several occasions they have been able to resist building in the area between the College and Scredda and rightly so because their planning arguments were robust. However, even a very capable and well resourced group like them would not have a chance under this system. That shocks me.”

And Cllr Brown, leader of the Lib Dem group at County Hall, added: “I have been a member of planning committees since 1988 and I don’t ever recall ever reading a Government report which has annoyed me and terrified me more than this one.

“Cornwall deserves the powers to run its own planning system. Cornwall Council should not be threatened with having its powers taken away.

“There has been masses of criticism of these dreadful policies all over the country but the Government aren’t listening. They want to help their developer friends by sweeping away the restrictions that keep them under some control.

“No parcel of land within or on the edge of Cornish settlements will be safe from the threat of development and we all know that many will be too expensive for local families and may well become yet more second homes.”

Mebyon Kernow leader Dick Cole has previously spoken out about the proposed changes to planning which he said would be “a disaster” for Cornwall.

“Mebyon Kernow supports large scale investment in public services and appropriate infrastructure as part of any recovery plan.

“But we are very worried about statements from the UK Government. The housing minister Christopher Pilcher has already publicly confirmed that he is looking to loosen restrictions in planning law, in particular to make it easier to push through housing schemes.

“The Prime Minister has meanwhile stated that he will be bringing forward the ‘most radical reforms of our planning system since the end of the Second World War.

“The planning system already favours the developers over communities and we consider that any further loosening of the planning system would be a disaster for places such as Cornwall.

“Cornwall needs the ability to make its own decisions on planning and we will be continuing to campaign for greater local control and for our own development framework.” Mebyon Kernow leader Dick Cole

• planning
• st austell