We need to put people before profits in our planning policy
Proper planning and development have been replaced by the ill-defined notion of ‘viability’ and the results can be seen all around us in the form of lower standards and spiralling rents
It’s not the job of the planning system to maximise developers’ profits, yet policy is being built on this shaky bedrock. In recent years, the traditional objective of ‘proper planning and development’ has been superseded by the ill-defined notion of whether a development proposal is ‘viable’.
What we refer to as planning policy would today be better termed real estate policy. As a result of this change in emphasis, a series of potential ...
