Chamber calls on Government to prioritise East Midlands planning asks after end of public consultation

Following the end of an open consultation on national planning, the East Midlands Chamber has urged the Government to act on the asks in its Manifesto for Growth, which include speeding up planning permission and bringing in the private sector to support local authorities.

The Government has already set out its own proposals, such as building 1.5 million new homes in the UK and widening the definition of brownfield land. The consultation via an online portal ended on 24th September.

East Midlands Chamber Chief Executive Scott Knowles said: “For the East Midlands to thrive, we can’t have businesses waiting on painfully slow decisions, delays and having to face high costs.  As we approach the Autumn Statement, the government needs to ensure planning gets the total overhaul it needs.

“The Chamber’s Manifesto for Growth outlines the need for joined-up thinking between planning departments to get things done, for private sector involvement which would mitigate against shortages of council staff and for easier access to the National Grid for renewable energy production. The Autumn Statement must not let these things slip; reforming the broken planning system is critical to pave the way for job creation, investment and growth in the East Midlands.”