Pressure on PM to ditch “electorally toxic” planning reforms

Boris Johnson is facing growing pressure from rebel Conservative MPs to abandon his “electorally toxic” planning reforms after the proposals were blamed for the party’s resounding defeat at the Chesham and Amersham by-election on Thursday.

The Bill, due in the autumn, would see the country divided up into planning zones where new developments in “growth areas”, selected based on need in part by an algorithm, would automatically receive permission.

Residents would also lose the ability to object to specific proposals, retaining only the right to question overall development plans.

The government says the reforms will make the planning system “more accessible” to residents and are necessary to fix the housing crisis and help young people get on the property ladder. 

But many Conservative backbenchers blame the plans for the party’s humiliating loss of the Chesham and Amersham seat to the Lib Dems last week, noting local concerns that changes to planning laws could reduce green belt protection in the Chilterns.

Writing in The Telegraph, Bob Seely, the Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight, claimed the “planning free-for-all” was “electorally toxic” and must be abandoned.

He said the current plans for a new zonal system without community input will strip away “a critical layer of local democracy from the planning process” and branded them a “fool’s errand”.  

Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, accused opponents, who include Theresa May, of having “mischaracterised” the plans. He said: “At no time has this proposal been about suddenly indiscriminately bricking over the countryside.”

Labour has tabled an opposition day debate on the issue this afternoon and is heaping pressure on the PM by calling on backbench rebels to support the opposition in a Commons vote.

Steve Reed, the shadow communities and local government secretary, said: “Good development can only happen when developers and communities work together, but the developers’ charter will gag local residents from having their say.”

“Voters have shown Conservative MPs what they think of the developers’ charter. Those MPs now have the chance to join Labour in voting to kill off these perverse reforms once and for all.”

Few Conservative MPs are expected to vote with Labour on the non-binding vote, but it will be an uncomfortable situation for those Tory MPs who oppose the planning reforms.