DCN responds to government’s proposed reform of the Right to Contest

The DCN has responded to the government’s consultation on the proposed ‘Right to Regenerate’, which would reform the current, little used, Right to Contest.

In our response we highlight some concerns around the implications on districts of what’s being proposed – including additional administration and reporting, as well as potential impact on councils’ longer-term asset management strategies. We also call on Government to extend its scope to look at land banking by private developers. With 9 in 10 planning applications approved by councils, and more than a million homes given planning permission but not yet built, it is the housing delivery system that is broken, not the planning system. The government needs to put more emphasis on developers not bringing sites forward, and local planning authorities should be given greater powers to intervene where the market is failing.

Date: 12th March 2021