Raynsford heads up new planning review

A major review of planning, chaired by former housing and planning minister Nick Raynsford, will seek to identify how the government can reform the English planning system to make it fairer and better resourced.

The Town & Country Planning Association (TCPA) review will respond to widespread concerns that the planning process is no longer fit for purpose. 

Raynsford (pictured), the TCPA’s president, said: “More than ever we need a planning system which commands the confidence of the public and delivers outcomes of which we can feel proud.

“After too many years of piecemeal changes and tinkering with the system, we need to go back to first principles and seek to develop a practical blueprint for the future of planning in England. That is the objective of this review.”

A formal call for evidence was launched this week, to be followed up by a series of engagement events during the next 18 months to ensure the report is based on the experience of politicians, planning practitioners in the public and private sectors, housing providers, developers, consultants, academics and the public.

Julia Foster, managing partner, David Lock Associates, and a member of the 11-strong taskforce, said: “In the maelstrom of the system in which we currently operate it is easy to lose sight of the immense benefit which good, positive planning can bring. 

“It is a challenge and a privilege to be involved in this review and to have a chance to think about how we might reinvigorate the planning system to help strive for quality of life and a fairer society.”