MP 'barking up wrong tree' over planning reform, CLA says

The CLA today said MP Nadhim Zahawi was “misguided” in his attack on planning reform.

CLA President Henry Robinson said Mr Zahawi, MP for Stratford-upon-Avon, was “barking up the wrong tree” to suggest the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) will harm the English countryside and backfire on the Government.

Mr Robinson said: “I am afraid to say Mr Zahawi is misguided. In many areas, the NPPF is currently the only way to deliver housing and economic growth in the countryside.

“The issue we face at the moment is that many rural local authorities, including the one in Stratford-upon-Avon in Mr Zahawi’s constituency, do not have up-to-date local plans.

“This Government and previous governments have fought long and hard with local planning authorities to get them to deliver these plans.


“However, the NPPF, and the legislation around it, is being ignored by many local authorities and councillors.”

The CLA President added: “The countryside needs a level of development to generate economic activity and that is what the NPPF is aiming to achieve.

“Planning is about managing change. Let’s get on and do it to make sure rural communities can survive and thrive.”