See the link above and read. It illustrates that our work to fight ludicrous housing targets and push authorities to create realistic local plans is worthy and we need to continue to campaign. One of the worrying lines in the story (and there are a few) is:
Much of the success comes from navigating the planning system. Land promoters track down underfunded local authorities that have not yet set out a local plan for housing for the net 15 years, or a programme for building for the next five years in its National Planning Policy Framework. Enter a land promotion company, which finds sites in these areas where the council is likely to say yes.
David Gladman, co-founder of the eponymous company told the High Court last July:
"We only target local authorities whose planning is in relative disarray and either have no up-to-date local plan or, temporarily, they do not have a five year plan for housing supply of consented building plots...."
The purpose of planning is, according to the Government's planning portal:
Planning control is the process of managing the development of land and buildings. The purposes of this process is to save what is best of our heritage and improve the infrastructure upon which we depend for a civilised existence.
Now that seems somewhat different to targeting authorities whose planning is in disarray and nothing to do with sustainability or saving our heritage to promote a civilised existence.
