This is the conclusion of the Barker Review of Land Use Planning, an interim report outlining some of the factors to be raised later this year in the follow-up to the 2004 Barker Report on supply of housing.
While the government promised to push through some of the reforms recommended in the original report, the interim document highlighted work still needed to be done.
Kate Barker, external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England, said: “A world-class planning system has to deliver the right balance between multiple public policy objectives; it also needs to be flexible and deliver decisions efficiently and effectively. Recent reforms have made big steps forward, but I believe we can still do more to reach these goals.”
The report stated in 2005/6 over a third of appeals for planning permission took longer than a year to be concluded, with much of the blame being placed on local authorities.
Mark Sismey-Durrant, chief executive of Heritable Bank, said: “There are a number of layers in the planning process and a number of people having their say. It’s not just about legislation but about local and parish councils complicating things and different branches of government getting involved. I think everyone would want to see an improvement.”
The full report is expected to look at how the planning system can be made more efficient and how the land available can be used better to ease the pressures on supply.
Rachel Blackmore, external affairs manager at the Building Societies Association (BSA), said: “One of the reasons affordability is an issue today is the problem of supply and demand. It is sensible to look at the whole of the planning system to address.
“The report is not about concreting over England’s green and pleasant land, but it is about making sure the planning system is suitable for the 21st century.”
