National Planning Policy Framework

Lord Johnson of Marylebone Excerpts

Tuesday 24th April 2012 Commons Chamber

[Greg Clark]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. There were more than 1,000 pages of planning policy across 44 different documents of various vintages, so contradictions between them were inevitable, and that was one of the reasons for the inconsistency. Part of the point of consolidating them into a single document is to make it easier to have consistency.

[Joseph Johnson (Orpington) (Con)]

Residents of Bromley are reassured by the reiteration of protections for the green belt, but can my right hon. Friend guarantee that metropolitan open land and urban open spaces will continue to enjoy the protections that they currently enjoy under the new NPPF?

[Greg Clark]

Yes, and I know how important that is in my hon. Friend’s constituency.