Dear John,

We’ve been following the government’s latest planning announcements closely. This week, they announced a raft of hasty, last-minute amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

But it’s not just the amendments themselves that are a concern. It’s the rhetoric around them. Ministers are speaking of ‘tearing up red tape’ and ‘removing obstacles’ as if nature and local democracy are the problem. We know that’s not true, and this is an approach which risks valuing the voices of investors and big developers over ordinary people and nature.

Some of these last-minute changes raise questions, including new powers for ministers to overrule local decisions, and proposals to reduce Natural England’s oversight. But the bigger issue is how little respect is being shown for scrutiny, transparency and meaningful engagement.

The government is blaming nature and communities for the housing crisis, when we know it’s bad policy and a broken market which has been dominated by big housebuilders, hoarding land and trickling out homes that most people can’t afford. Meanwhile, we continue to fall desperately short of delivering affordable and social rent homes, and brownfield for 1.4 million homes sits dormant.

We know we can tackle the housing crisis without harming nature, and that’s why we’re calling for a joined-up and grown-up conversation about the future of the planning system. A planning system that values both nature and people, and builds trust rather than division.

CPRE will keep pressing for a planning system that’s democratic, evidence-based, and genuinely sustainable – because that’s the only way to deliver the homes and energy we need without losing the countryside we all depend on.

Thank you for your support – we’ll be in touch about how we can work together to be a voice for the countryside.

Lola Karpf
Campaigns and Content Officer