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Government planning laws will 'bulldoze democracy', says County Council |
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Written by coder
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Thursday, 24 May 2007 |
The Government White Paper proposing a wide-ranging overhaul of the planning system is ‘another back door bid to further erode local democracy’, said Henry Smith, Leader of West Sussex County Council.
One of the proposals contained in the White Paper is for an independent panel of experts to take responsibility for decisions on individual projects.
Henry said: “In other words – it will be Ministers appointing an un-elected quango to bulldoze their way through democracy.
“If the proposal becomes law, the White Paper will enable Ministers to force through whatever they want – whether that’s more airports, nuclear power stations or hundreds of thousands of new houses.”
Henry was speaking as a member of South East Council Leaders (SECL), which has already spoken out against the White Paper.
SECL is made up of 11 local authorities and is committed to delivering effective public services that improve the quality of life for people living in the region.
Henry said: “Rather than try to escape local democratic scrutiny and accountability, Ministers should work with us – the local people and elected Councillors – who know what is best to create sustainable communities local families will want to live in.”
Both the County Council and SECL recognise there is a need for planning law reform, he said.
“But robbing local communities of having a say over what is built in their neighbourhoods is not the answer. The voice of local communities must be preserved and a democratic, accountable process must be maintained,” said Henry.
Earlier this year, he added, a new code aiming for the highest standards in building design was launched in Crawley.
They were drawn up by the West Sussex Design Commission, an independent body set up by West Sussex County Council, in response to the development pressure facing the county.
All West Sussex District and Borough Councils have agreed to use the Principles as an aid when processing planning applications.
“The key aim of the Design Principles – which is to raise the quality of new development throughout West Sussex – could be seriously compromised if the White Paper becomes law,” said Henry.
“This is because we could see badly designed houses – houses that would not necessarily be environmentally friendly, nor cater for the needs of key workers – being foisted on our communities.”
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 03 June 2007 )
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