Chris Smyth, who is The Times Whitehall Editor has written an interesting piece yesterday ( 07 March 2025) which the headline sums up as as ‘Councillors to be stripped of powers to block planning schemes’. It reminds us that next week Ministers will he thinks set out plans to ban councillors from interfering in the vast majority planning applications. Seemingly it will an effort to to push through more houses, and other large development projects. It the story is true it will be set on fire the battle between local people who oppose local spatial change, and a government which has swallowed hook, , line and sinker the widespread belief in the world of professional town planners that local opposition to local change is the barrier to spatial change. And if you read the hundreds of Comments attached to the online edition of The Times article you will be minded to agree. Simply, there is an ocean of evidence to support this thesis.
So readers of this blog will be surprised to hear me express some concerns if this headline is the outcome next week.. I know, we all know, local opponents of local spatial change are significantly influenced by the impact of land use changes near them for personal, frequently selfish reasons. Nothing new here. It is the fuel of democracy. Some will honourably vote for sound policies because they believe them to be in the national interest. Many will vote for or. against such changes based purely on how the new policy will hit them. Most will be driven by an amalgam.
Based on my five plus decades of frontline experience there is a dynamic that flares up, under certain conditions. I have no doubt that most opposition to local change is driven by local lobbies, gestated by local fears of change, who coagulate into a fearsome, articulate and passionately misguided groups of local activists with the ability to scare the pants off local councillors and local MP’s regardless of the national interest or the next generation. They are adept at disguise, usurping labels like local democracy, climate protectors or environmental experts.And, above all they are absolutely sincere in their opposition. These guys are powerful enemies. Most are experienced veterans of local tactics, of delay, of usurping social fashions, and most of all exploiting local media’s love of controversy.
So what’s my problem? I make two points. Ask the guys who led the opposition to HS1 rail across Kent. Do they mind now? I vividly recall an article on precisely this point, saying no. We need to do some research in this area. Second, look at other European countries reactions to spatial change. I know France a bit and Italy week, in this regard. There are a lot of unique factors at play in these countries, and fortunately in England most are weaknesses we avoid.All the same they do not strangle themselves. And we do. Actually we are lucky there is this muffled demand for growth. What a shame that after five decades instead of capturing it, we have turned it into a bogeyman. Quite mad. Why, because decision takers miss the central point. If you are going to undertake major land use change, first of all plan for it as far ahead as the the delivery vehicle needs. Then it will be land use change locals come to love, not hate. And two, communicate, communicate, communicate.
What’s this mean? Look at how long it takes AFTER getting control of the land to plan, design, approve, start work and finish work on major, at scale building projects? Ten years is fast. It also needs ten years or more to make the case for new communities. It also needs ten years or more to buy, or take control of potential building land if the purchase price is contain little or no hope value. Is there a connection? And ten year plus visions cannot happen if locally there are ideological divisions. It will take ten or more years to win local support for local land use changes.
This is why I wonder. There is a long way to go to reverse decades of housing policy failure. It can be done. And must be done. By a coalition of the willing having courage and integrity. This means defeat of divisive thinking and political teamwork, not political confrontation. Why? Look at house prices and rents. Look at growth. Look at foreign competition.
Ian Campbell
8 March 2025
