Consultation on the draft NPPF has closed but the debate continues

Monday was the last opportunity for interested parties to submit final responses, many of which are said to urge the Government to resist making major changes to the draft NPPF.

The final Commons Committee meeting before the end of the consultation period contained a debate between the National Trust (NT) and the British Property Foundation (BPF).

The NT has campaigned for the Government to rethink the changes to planning rules because of fears that they favour development.

At the meeting NT chairman, Sir Simon Jenkins, said the "fingerprints" of builders were all over the reforms and that his organisation was "up against some very rich and powerful people." The reforms could give developers carte blanche to build on large parts of rural land, he said.

The NT has continued to campaign for the introduction of a 'brownfield first' policy because it fears that the NPPF will lead to uncontrolled development across greenbelt land. However, the Home Builders Federation (HBF) urged the government to resist the introduction of a 'brownfield first' policy in their response: 

"The NPPF clearly states that local plans should allocate 'land with the least environmental or amenity value'. This directly addresses protecting the environment, while enabling the building of homes that the country needs," the HBF said.

The final responses received by the Government appear to suggest that although the NPPF is weighted towards development, it is a positive move by the Government that is embraced by many.

The responses do however indicate that most people think the draft needs to be tightened up before it is adopted and that clarity is needed in certain areas.

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the lack of a definition of 'sustainable development' and many letters urge the Government to rectify this.

The Planning Officers Society has said that although it is in favour of the draft NPPF "the document needs fine-tuning and greater clarity".

"The Society is convinced that as currently drafted the NPPF will slow down and not speed up the planning system," it said.

A consultation containing revised proposals is due to be published in the next few weeks.