PLANNING


Thepoliticsof W


ith proposals for education and health reform taking centre stage at Westminster, the property sector is still in a state of limbo, wondering whether the Government’s plans for the delivery of residential and commercial development will


be enough to give the industry the kick-start it so desperately needs. Shortly before the parliamentary recess, there was a flurry of activity but dithering, in-fighting and bungled policy announcements have led to a feeling of unease across the industry. Ironically, reform of the planning


system was one issue where the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats were in accord. Both manifestos, proposed to devolve planning powers downwards to communities, stating that Labour’s approach hadn’t worked.


14 SEPTEMBER 2010 PROPERTYdrum


planning


James Garland asks, will Cameron’s ‘Big Society’ be able to deliver much-needed new homes? Does anybody understand what it really means?


george osborne


This approach clearly resonated with voters who resented the notion that new homes were imposed upon them by Government and QUANGOs such as the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs). George Osborne made it clear that a Conservative government would abolish RDAs, not least because, ideologically, they represent everything the Tories dislike about New Labour – bureaucratic, unaccountable and very costly to the tax-payer. Indeed, a recent study by the TaxPayers’ Alliance shows that 62 per cent of the £2.9 billion awarded by Regional Development Agencies from 2007 to 2009 did not go to private businesses but to public sector organisations. However, in certain regions RDAs have done an excellent job and one thing they did provide was certainty: developers knew how many homes they would need to deliver, and where. To say the sector has reacted cautiously to the statements released by the new coalition Government would be an understatement. This is borne out by the fact that shares in house builders have fallen by 20 per cent since the new administration came into office.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68