Barker receives mixed reviews

06 December 2006

Council leaders have welcomed the final Barker report’s moves to speed up and streamline the planning process in England, but joined forces with environmental groups on the need to protect the green belt.
The report on land use planning in England, by economist Kate Barker, says that a new national planning authority should have the final say on major transport, waste or energy infrastructure projects, such as power stations, roads or airports.
It also calls for more efficient land use with a ‘town centre first’ bias for new development and financial incentives to make greater use of empty property and vacant land.
Sandy Bruce Lockhart, chairman of the Local Government Association, said: ‘Barker has recognised that the time is up for a centrally-controlled planning system. Councillors working with their communities are best-placed to create attractive places with more jobs and better-designed homes.’
However, Lord Lockhart urged caution on calls for a review of green belt boundaries. ‘This will not solve the shortage of new homes. These are not being held back by a lack of land but rather by a shortage of funding for transport, roads and community infrastructure,’ he said.
Friends of the Earth’s planning adviser, Hugh Ellis, claimed: ‘This is a one-sided report. If Barker is implemented, new developments such as motorways and supermarkets will be pushed through, regardless of the concerns of local communities or the impact on their environment.’
And Stephen Joseph, director of the campaign group, Transport 2000, warned: ‘Her proposals to downgrade green belt lands and relax parking standards and controls on out-of-centre shopping developments would create a range of environmental impacts.’
But Environmental Services Association chief executive, Dirk Hazell, said: ‘In the next few years, £10bn of investment in new infrastructure will be needed for the UK to meet its environmental obligations. An independent planning commission should help provide certainty and speed when infrastructure is proposed.’
The Barker Review of Land Use Planning. www.barkerreviewofplanning.org.uk

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