Prescott's changes won't help housing crisis, say planners

Planning system changes announced by deputy prime minister John Prescott are unlikely to help boost affordable housing, experts said this week.

In Prescott's speech following the comprehensive spending review, he dropped the much-derided tariffs proposal as predicted by Housing Today (see link, below). He also promised guidance "soon" on making section 106 agreements more transparent and pledged £350m over three years to ease the planning process.

But planners warned that crucial details were lacking or had been overlooked. One well-placed source said: "There is nothing new to get the planning system working now. Incentives are all very well but what's needed are more resources." He was also sceptical of Prescott's announcement of a register for publicly held brownfield land. "It is not really any more than the national land use database set up by Michael Heseltine in 1979. I can't see the planning statement helping developers in any way."

Peter Studdert, director of environment and planning at Cambridge council was critical of Prescott's intention to intervene in local authorities who fail to meet targets for new homes. Cambridge is one of Prescott's growth areas for housing investment. Studdert said: "The Home Counties seem to be dragging their heels [in planning decisions], but Cambridge is doing a good job, so it seems to me an unnecessary intervention."

He added that there remained a "huge question mark" over the amount of resources earmarked to enter the planning system. "There is a need for an enormous step change in housing policy if we are to deliver the necessary number of affordable housing. The additional £350m [for planning] is just sweeties for the local authorities and I don't think the system has been properly thought through." Studdert said that if councils sped up their planning processes, the financial incentive from the government could simply be spent elsewhere and that the quality of the system would suffer as a result.

The House Builders Federation welcomed the demise of the tariffs system but expressed doubts that councils could deliver Prescott's vision for more homes.

HBF spokesman Pierre Williams said: "Any intervention has to be followed through and those councils that do fail should face financial penalties." He said spiralling delays in the planning system over recent years and the planning gain process had cost the HBF's members dearly.

Housebuilders were prepared to pay to sort out the problem of prolonged planning wrangles, he added: "Investment is needed in the planning system and we are prepared to examine means as to how best to ensure the planning system delivers."