The planning system in England and Wales is “riven with systemic issues” and “incapable” of delivering the number of homes needed to address the housing crisis, according to a survey undertaken by SEC Newgate.
The company interviewed 311 planning committee members for its National Planning Barometer and found the majority (67%) believe the national housing crisis is significantly worse than it was pre-pandemic and 43% of survey respondents claimed slow build out by developers was the primary issue affecting housing delivery.
The survey also found nine out of 10 councillors do not think the planning system is easy for the public to engage with; planning committee members do not feel developers are genuinely listening to the public; and only two out of 10 councillors feel positive about the impact of future planning policies such as the government’s Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, and updates to the NPPF.
Additionally, planning committee members said resourcing was a major problem within local authority planning departments, with nearly six out of 10 councillors stating they had insufficient resources to ensure timely determination of applications and updated local plan policies.
Perry Miller, head of advocacy local at SEC Newgate, said: “The SEC Newgate National Planning Barometer reveals the planning system is in the eye of a perfect storm. Riven by systemic internal issues, combative in nature, and facing an acute lack of resources, the planning system is incapable of providing the homes needed to tackle the housing crisis, which is widely acknowledged to be increasingly severe. Frequent national policy changes only exacerbate the pressures and create further contradictions and conflict. The situation is bleak and requires urgent action if the housing crisis is not to get even worse.”
David Scane, director, advocacy, at SEC Newgate, added: “The planning system is set up to fail and much of what is required to fix it can only come through national policy and improved resourcing. Nevertheless, many of the issues around poor communication between stakeholders and the combative environment can be addressed through better engagement. At too many points in the system, the key parties are simply not talking to each other. The result is often conflicting aspirations and unwarranted mistrust. This needs to change.”
