David Cameron’s choice of Nick Boles as the new planning minister sends a clear signal that he is serious about planning reform. The founder of Policy Exchange is a close confidante of the Prime Minister and has been trusted with reforms that have been attempted once and damaged Cameron’s reputation.
If the Chancellor is the winner from relaxed development regulations — which will be a core part of his Economic Development Bill next month — then his party stand to be the losers. The Campaign to Protect Rural England is already gearing up for a second battle:
‘If planning restrictions are relaxed, you’re not going to get any increase in the overall number of houses being built. All that will happen is an increase in the number of houses being built in the wrong places’
Helpfully, we know just where these ‘wrong places’ might be.
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