Thursday 17th March 2011 – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has joined the House of Commons Communities and Local Government (CLG) Committee in calling on the Government to end the current planning vacuum created by the pending abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS).
Brian Berry, Director of External Affairs at the FMB said:
“Although the Localism Bill has yet to formally abolish RSS, in practice the effect of the announcement that they are to go has been to bring planning to a grinding halt in many areas of the country. Evidence given to the CLG Committee suggests that plans for something in the region of 200,000 badly needed homes have already been lost as a result.”
Berry continued:
“The current planning vacuum is creating a shortage of consents coming through the pipeline which is likely to delay any recovery in housing production when the market eventually picks up. With nearly five million people already on waiting lists and new household creation at 232,000 per annum we cannot afford to suspend the planning system in many parts of the country while we wait for a new one to be put in place.”
