The Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Rt Rev John Packer, warned that the rules would allow developments when councils had not set out local plans, which would make clear where building can take place. His intervention is the first time that a senior cleric has entered the dispute over the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework. The framework distils 1,300 pages of planning guidance into as few as 52, and writes in a ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’. Groups including the National Trust fear this will allow developers to build on large parts of the countryside. The bishop criticised the draft rules during a House of Lords debate. He said: ‘Just because no one has thought about a proposal before does not mean that it should automatically be granted. A default answer of 'yes’ seems to be dangerous in legislation and could well lead to problems in, for example, the proper provision of affordable housing.’
Pray: for the Government to build in safeguards to address the concerns of many who seek to protect townscapes and countryside. (Ps.72:3)