Forget about reforming the planning system. A Government ruled by pollsters and focus groups will never find the courage to acknowledge not only that the country needs many more homes but that some of them will have to go up in the teeth of local opposition. Instead, the inevitable is happening by stealth. Applications by big housebuilders for lots of new homes are being approved by the Communities Secretary, Ruth Kelly, despite having been refused not only by local authorities but also by her department’s professional inspectors.
Last month, when many voters were away on holiday, Kelly did it twice. In Bermondsey, South London, a site full of mature trees, herons, kingfishers and other wildlife and surrounded by traditional two and three-storey houses was targeted by Barratt Homes. The proposal? Hundreds of high-rise flats.
Southwark Council threw out the plans and Inspector Elizabeth Fieldhouse rejected the appeal. But Kelly, while agreeing that the development is alien to the area, gave permission anyway, citing the need for more houses as the overriding consideration. She did it again with an application by Eton College and Barratt for 300 homes on a site near Slough not designated for housing, because the need for homes was “compelling” — although the inspector didn’t think so.