Under its proposals, the level of bureaucracy needed to obtain planning permission will be slashed to make it quicker for projects to be given a green or red light, with home extensions no longer requiring consent in most cases.
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There is also a pledge to put environmental decisions at the forefront of the planning process, with a renewed vow to protect greenbelt land.
Communities Secretary Ruth Kelly said: “It is 60 years since the Attlee government introduced the Town and Country Planning Act and today we face challenges they could never have foreseen - the need to cut emissions from climate change, or the need to support high-quality jobs and build more homes.
“There are parts of the current system which can be costly, confusing and inaccessible for local people so we need a simpler system that is quicker but which locks in community consultation at every stage of the process.”
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Part of the White Paper would see the establishment of an independent planning commission to adjudicate on major planning projects, while developers would be required to place added emphasis on local opinion, environmental and heritage groups.
Mark Sismey-Durrant, chief executive of Heritable Bank, commented: “The White Paper is laudable in its objective but the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. As we have seen with Home Information Packs and SIPPs before them, it comes down to being able to deliver on the fine detail and if it can do that it should be of some help. Full marks if it can unclog the planning system but I’d be worried if the government uses it to force through major projects against objections, such as nuclear power stations.”
