Opinion: The Tories’ planning overhaul is a ferocious attack on democracy

Prospective students Current students UCL in the media Services for media Tell us your story - Policy Fellow Laurie Macfarlane (UCL Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose) comments how the UK Government's plan to replace planning development rules with new zoning reforms is an 'attack on democracy', as the changes would remove power from local representatives. Just over a month ago Boris Johnson promised to deliver the most radical reforms to England's planning system "since the second world war". This week we found out what that means in practice, and it's clear the prime minister wasn't joking. In a new white paper the government has set out sweeping plans to "cut red tape, overhaul the planning process and build better, greener homes faster". But even by the standards of the modern Conservative party, this is no ordinary regulatory bonfire. In one fell swoop, the entire system that has governed land use in England for more than 70 years has been set ablaze. Ever since the Town and Country Planning Act 1947 was enacted, landowners and developers have had to apply to their local authority for planning permission to build new property or convert existing buildings from one use to another.