R2OK!

mark occomore · Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK

Is relaxing of planning controls down to Margaret Thatcher when she was PM in the 80's?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/9705395/The-storm-gathering-over-Britains-flood-defences.html

ruddlescat · Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 18010 Location: Near Chester

Planning controls are actually presently quite strict and there really wasn't much change during the 1980's - reforms tended to be made in the financial sector but not really in planning

The present Government is intending to substantially weaken planning controls which I think would be a serious mistake - we all know that more houses are required to house an increasing population but new homes should be built on brownfield sites and other areas should only be considered as a last resort once those areas have been exhausted

As for building on flood plains on the opposite side of the river from where I live permission has just been granted on appeal to build a number of homes which will have a serious effect on my own and other properties because of the fact that concreting or tarmacing over the site area will cause water displacement which will make our existing problems with flooding even worse

Fortunately however the Inspector on appeal imposed so many additional conditions that it will probably make the scheme uneconomic in the current housing market so I guess the applicants might claim some kind of victory and they might have won the most recent battle but I think we won the war Smile

_________________
Are you ready for a Ruddles?