Call for planning vision

Local authority planners were accused of being spineless, bowing too readily to public opinion, and ignoring the needs of the country for new homes, an industry housing conference heard last week.

The debate about where new housing was to be sited had been hijacked by people preoccupied with 'nimbyism' said John Walker, chief executive of the Commission for New Towns (CNT). He was speaking at a conference entitled Keep Off the Grass, organised by the House Builders' Federation, CNT, Town and Country Planning Association and the Royal Institute of British Architects, last week.

Walker said nimbyism had caused "open warfare" between planners and developers: "Local planners are reactive rather than proactive and bow far too readily to the 'not-in-my-backyard' syndrome despite the great need for new dwellings."

Roger Humber, chief executive of the House Builders Federation, called on planners to show vision in siting future housing: "The current 'pepperpotting' of new development, beyond the edge of towns is now politically unacceptable and produces unsustainable, car-generating types of development."

Humber called on them to concentrate greenfield development, where necessary, in large urban extensions and to ensure that it was sustainable. "None of this requires legislation - it requires political courage and a willingness to take the hard decisions."

As an example, he applauded Hertfordshire County Council in allocating the west of Stevenage for new housing.

While agreeing with Humber and Walker's assessment of their role, local authority planners laid the blame for their ineffectiveness in pushing ahead with much needed development firmly with the Thatcher Government.

"It rendered us toothless. Much of the power in planning decision-making was moved to central Government," said Peter White, a planner for Derbyshire County Council.