Budget reaction: "Urgent review" into planning system doesn't go far enough

Chris Clark, Senior Associate at Glenny, spoke to Property Week following the Chancellor's Autumn Budget, arguing the recognition of the planning system's current drawbacks didn't go far enough to help readdress the current imbalance between planning permissions granted and built-out land .... “The Government’s recognition of the shortfall between planning permissions granted and built-out land is an important first step, but it doesn’t go far enough in addressing the real drawbacks of the current planning system. "Developers will only build out when its commercially viable to do so, meaning there will always be some disparity between the number of schemes that have been built, and the number under construction or complete. In London this is particularly the case for previously developed land. "Instead of conducting an urgent review into the reasons behind this gap, as promised by the Chancellor in today’s Budget, a more helpful and proactive approach would be for the Government to focus its efforts on encouraging Local Authorities to grant more permissions, with less onerous affordable housing requirements – to help readdress the current imbalance.”