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PRE-ELECTION POLITICS ARE “FREEZING” THE WEST’S ABILITY TO EMERGE FROM RECESSION

The West‘s regional planning for future housing and employment provision is in tatters – while Tory proposals could amount to a “NIMBY‘s Charter”, warn top international property consultants

Years of strategic planning to provide the homes and workspace needed in the West is effectively shelved and may never be seen again - while Conservative plans to move planning decisions to a local level are “a potential disaster.”

 This is the view of specialists at King Sturge, the largest firm of international property consultants in the South West.

 According to Ned Cussen, a senior partner at King Sturge in Bristol: “Our region will have to play ‘catch-up‘ in terms of both housing and employment development.

 “This region‘s delivery of new homes and new workspace has been stalled by the market. This was addressed in the South West Regional Spatial Strategy that went through months of expensive consultation and refinement; but this has now been shelved by the Government and may never see the light of day.

 “Meanwhile, the Tories‘ proposals to devolve decisions at a local level are fine in a number of areas, but are a potential disaster in planning terms”, said Mr Cussen.

 Those proposals could amount to a “NIMBY‘s Charter”, according to Ned Cussen.

“The Conservative Party has declared the aim of abolishing Regional Spatial Strategies, that would have defined the areas for housing and workspace growth through to 2026.

 “This could create huge inconsistencies in the way planning applications are handled, and do little to help embattled planning officers to fight what could be ‘NIMBY‘ minorities opposed to any local development. Delivery could become dependent on whether authorities are pro- or anti-development and while it is argued that regional bodies are unaccountable, the fact is that the regional planning horizon is a logical one.”

 Mr Cussen added that while yesterday‘s official figures suggest that the UK is emerging from recession, delivery of new sites and buildings is being stifled by long lead-in and developers‘ need to recover from the problems of the last two years.

 “The West is being held back by the lack of property delivery – for both homes and workspace – with a potential further shortage of new land for potential development in the medium-term.”

 ENDS               27^th January 2010

For further information please contact Neil Fraser, Sturgess Van Damme, on 01275 349011 or email neil@sturgessvandamme.co.uk