Planning organisations blast Levelling-up Bill as ‘not fit for purpose’

The UK’s leading planning organisations have blasted the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Bill as “not fit for purpose”. Speaking to MPs at an evidence session, the heads of the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Town and Country Planning Association raised concerns over the lack of detail in the government’s plans, lack of policy co-ordination and increased complexity. TCPA chief Dr Hugh Ellis said there was no clear link in the Bill to vital issues. “There are no practical measures,” he said. “Our concern is that it doesn’t address the fundamental challenges – particularly cost of living, health and the climate crisis.” As such, he said, the Bill was “absolutely not fit for purpose”. The Bill, which is being scrutinised by a select committee led by Labour MP Clive Betts, is the government’s flagship piece of legislation. Planning is being seen as the main weapon in the government’s arsenal to enable levelling up, leading Betts to brand the legislation as “a planning bill with a levelling-up wrap-around”. Christopher Young QC, who also gave evidence, said: “Planning is probably the number one mechanism by which a lot of levelling up can be achieved.” More than two-thirds of the Bill is taken up with planning policy, which will become an even greater proportion when all the secondary legislation and regulation yet to be issued is taken into account. Ellis told MPs: “It is a planning bill and the wrapping of levelling up is pretty thin.” The RTPI’s chief executive Victoria Hills agreed that “planning is going to be the lead domino in delivering levelling up,” but added this would only happen if it was “delivered properly”. In this respect, she said, the Bill “doesn’t quite hit the mark”. She said she was apprehensive that so much of the detail will be filled in to secondary legislation. Ellis added the approach taken by the government had not been to simplify planning, as had been its stated aim, but to make it even more complex. He said: “It doesn’t consolidate planning legislation so it ends up giving us a very complex system.” Planning law has not been consolidated in more than 30 years, he added, making it so complex that you need a QC to understand it. While levelling up secretary Michael Gove (pictured) has said all secondary legislation will be “considered by parliament”, Betts was clear this did not mean MPs or experts would have the opportunity to affect it. “Considered by parliament and properly scrutinised are not always the same thing,” he warned. While Ellis and Hills accepted that secondary legislation would need to be used, they said the balance was wrong. “We are being asked to sign up to this without being able to see whether the whole will operate effectively,” Ellis added. “That is not good law-making.” To send feedback, e-mail piers.wehner@eg.co.uk or tweet @PiersWehner or @EGPropertyNews Image © Tayfun Salci/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock