‘Ugly’ buildings will be banned under new planning rules

New planning laws have been promised that will block the development of “ugly” buildings as ministers reverse plans to limit the power of local residents to veto development. The new housing secretary, Michael Gove, is understood to have ordered a review of the planning reforms and has scrapped proposals to limit the power of local planning committees to block housebuilding. Mr Gove is also said to want to make housing companies pay more to local communities to improve amenities in areas where development takes place. Last month ministers signalled the start of a retreat from what had been billed as the biggest shake-up of planning law in 70 years, designed to help reach a target of 300,000 new homes a year. Government sources said the upcoming planning bill was likely to be much less radical than previously envisaged and could amount to little more than a "tidying up exercise" of the present rules. "There is always a danger with planning reforms that you actually slow down the pace of development because builders are waiting for the new rules to come into place," one said. 

The Times (04/10/2021)