A coalition of charities has set out ‘red lines’ for the Government’s controversial reform of the planning system, the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) The charities say that “George Osborne’s countryside-wrecking plans for growth at any cost must be stopped.”

The groups, represented by umbrella body Wildlife and Countryside Link, which counts RSPB, WWF-UK, the CPRE, The Wildlife Trusts and Friends of the Earth as members, warn that if these lines are crossed, planners are likely to become tied up with direct action, court challenges and appeals.

The charities say that without the introduction of these safeguards in the NPPF, more environmentally damaging developments are likely to get the green light. Critically, they say that the NPPF needs a clear definition of genuine sustainable development, which ensures that economic, environmental and social concerns are fully integrated rather than traded off against one another. The group’s 'red lines' are that:

• Sustainable development must be defined in line with the current UK Sustainable Development Strategy;
• The presumption in favour of sustainable development must be designed to promote development that is sustainable, rather than development at any cost;
• The natural environment must be properly and consistently protected;
• The NPPF must achieve ‘smart growth’, meaning growth that makes efficient use of land, utilises existing infrastructure and reduces the need to travel.

Treasury thinking is ludicrous

Emmalene Gottwald, senior planning advisor at WWF-UK commented:

"It's ludicrous that the Treasury thinks the planning system is a 'block' to growth. There's little evidence that an NPPF biased towards development at any cost will usher in economic growth in the short term - but as it stands, the reforms are a clear threat to the environment and our long term prosperity.

“The Prime Minister said that he's serious about protecting the countryside, but it’s starting to look like his heart isn’t in it. An NPPF that doesn't have sustainable development at its core will leave this Government heading down the wrong path."

 Simon Marsh, head of planning policy at RSPB said:

“The public, having shown their opposition to the reforms, won’t take  environmentally damaging development lying down. We’re likely to see local opposition groups springing up across the country wherever an environmentally damaging development has been approved.

“The Government must get these reforms right, otherwise local communities, our landscape and our wildlife will bear the brunt of unsustainable development It is critically important that misguided attempts to stimulate economic growth do not jeopardise our natural environment.

George Osborne – “countryside-wrecking plans for growth at any cost”

Craig Bennett, Friends of the Earth’s director of policy and campaigns, said that unless Ministers spelt out what sustainable development means the UK would see ever more new roads clogged with traffic and families struggling to insure homes built on floodplains. He said:

“The planning system must give the green light to building the clean energy systems and warm, affordable homes the country urgently needs – but George Osborne’s countryside-wrecking plans for growth at any cost will not do this and must be stopped.”

The coalition of organisations also warn that if the NPPF does not meet the sustainability criteria laid out in the ‘red lines’, England may revert to having a ‘planning by appeal’ system. They argue that even if local authorities tried to refuse applications more developers would opt to go to appeal if they are turned down by the local authority because of the expectation that the default answer to all new development should be ‘yes’.

The NGOs said this would effectively take the decision-making process for local planning decisions out of town halls and put it into the hands of Government-appointed inspectors, seriously undermining the Government’s commitment to localism.