TCPA calls for 'participative process'

The Town and Country Planning Institute (TCPA) has said that the government's Planning Reform Bill should focus on promoting a collaborative spirit between local communities and the state.

The Bill, which was announced in the Queen's Speech earlier this month, must not result in communities losing out in the planning process, the TCPA has insisted.

The government has said that National Policy Statements will be introduced as a way of streamlining the UK's planning system, but these should not compromise local interests, the organisation noted.

"We call on government to provide a proper right to be heard for homeowners and for communities. These statements must therefore be developed through a participative process in which people can enjoy a right to be heard on any matter that directly bears upon their home, their environment or their property," said TCPA chief executive Gideon Amos.

The Bill also proposed that a new body, the Infrastructure Planning Commission, would have final say on which major development projects get the go-ahead.

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