Feryal Clark MP calls out Government’s proposed Developer’s Charter

Following today’s opposition day debate, Labour called a vote to protect local people’s right to object to individual planning applications, after the Government announced plans to rip up the planning system in the Queen’s Speech through the creation of a “Developer’s Charter”.

By refusing to vote with Labour, the Conservatives have shown communities whose side they’re on: the wealthy developers that increasingly bankroll their party.

The Government’s proposed reforms of the planning system will remove powers from elected local representatives and hand them to Whitehall-appointed boards of developers while doing nothing to solve the growing affordable housing crisis.

Here in Enfield, we have seen how wealthy developers will happily ride rough shod over our communities, throwing aside our heritage and tradition.

With developments such as the one proposed to replace the Palace Gardens & Exchange Shopping Centre, which includes a 26-story building and zero affordable homes, the power of communities to speak up and make their voices heard is vital for ensuring the needs of residents and businesses are at the heart of planning decisions.

Not only do developers often fail to facilitate space for residents and businesses, they often lack the foresight to understand the needs of the wider community. Developments like Chase Farm in Enfield North suffer from additional pressures on transport infrastructure, which will cause increased congestion and drive up pollution through increased car usage.

Issues like this can only be properly solved by local residents and businesses being at the very heart of the planning process, rather than having their voices stripped away.

Whilst it is important to recognise the need to tackle the housing crisis, this should be done in a way that genuinely benefits local areas by providing affordable homes and business units, rather than deepening the pockets of already wealthy developers who have no stake in our communities.

Today the Tories had a chance to stand up for residents and businesses and shown them that they’re on their side.

They didn’t take that opportunity, and sadly look set to continue to empower developers to break up our communities and continue to ignore the rampant inequality being driven by the housing crisis.