Time to buy some discounts to NAV, Blackstone cede 11% and UK planning paralysis 

What on earth is happening to our planning system? Is it absent without leave? I know it’s a bit of an overstatement to say that everywhere I go someone has a negative story about planners, with notable exceptions of course, but the system just doesn’t seem to be functioning these days. 

In the South Hams that is almost literally true. I hear that the receptionists at the main council offices have been ‘working from home’ (how on earth does a receptionist do that?), so it is difficult to even get into the building to see the planners. In Chichester and the Vale of White Horse I hear it can take weeks to even get an application registered. The latter has gone one step further in one instance apparently and is allegedly making up reasons to prevent development in their patch. 

In South Cambridgeshire they are woefully short of well-qualified planning staff in one of the most dynamic and entrepreneurial regions of the UK, despite the best efforts of the head of planning there. A call out to Fareham Borough Council though, for being on the other side of the opprobrium. 

The planning departments around the country are partial gatekeepers to our economy. They regulate building and progress, commercially and environmentally. They are critical to our future productivity and structure, and to the well-being of the country. Planning teams need to be well staffed with sensible professionals helping communities progress. Planning deserves to be a well-paid and sought-after job. Sadly, this is not the case.  

If we cannot get the system up and running again quickly, then government should mandate that a planning application has, with appropriate checks and balances, a presumed consent and not refusal. The ‘not in my back yards’ need to realise that we have to get money moving round our economy again and what better way to do that than by developing for the future? Please can we get planning moving again?