Eastbourne Borough Council has passed a motion calling on the government to scrap its proposals for planning reform.
Councillor Colin Swansborough submitted the motion at Full Council last night (July 21) relating to the controversial government white paper, Planning for the Future, submitted last summer.
He said: “We are concerned that government proposals to deregulate planning will remove the rights of residents to influence or object to inappropriate development where they live.
“These proposals will decimate the character of our borough and give carte blanche to developers to build what they please across large areas without needing planning permission.”
Councillor Swansborough added: “We believe that residents have the right to a say over development that will change the area in which they live and that local councils, in consultation with businesses and residents, are best placed to understand the issues in their area and to respond with a strategy tailored to that area.”
The motion calls on the government to throw aside the planning proposals and instead:
- undertake a wholesale review of Permitted Development Rights,
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- make the national Planning Inspectorate more accountable to local people, and
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- implement stronger controls to ensure that ministers making decisions on planning applications, are not connected either financially or personally with developers or related parties to the application.