Pickles and Perrins hit back at planning critics

Berkeley Homes boss Rob Perrins and communities minister Eric Pickles have defended the industry against attacks by anti-development campaigners on the government’s proposed National Planning Policy Framework, which includes a controversial “presumption in favour of sustainable development”.

Perrins, group managing director of Berkeley Homes, told delegates at the RESI housebuilding conference in Wales: “We will produce jobs for every house we build and we shouldn’t get into such narrow debates.”

Pickles also used the stage at RESI, a conference run by Building’s parent company UBM, to condemn the campaign, orchestrated by the National Trust and the Daily Telegraph, against the planning reforms.

We shouldn’t get into such narrow debates

Rob Perrins

Pickles claimed critics of the NPPF had not done their homework. “They’ve got hot and bothered without reading the consultation documents,” he said.

Pickles also dismissed the controversy surrounding the NPPF’s “presumption in favour of sustainable development”.

“There’s always been a presumption in favour of development since the 1948 [Town and County Planning] Act,” he said.

The minister said the government was committed to greater development and wanted to “get Britain building again”. He claimed the NPPF changes were necessary to reform planning and to cut the cost of development.

Perrins also defended Berkeley Homes against claims by the RIBA that contractors are building inadequate “shoebox” homes and said that the RIBA’s criticisms ran counter to the aspirations of consumers.

He said: “People want to own their own homes and we tend to provide the right range. You’ve got to provide a mix of products and our small units have very good design.”