Greg Mulholland
Main Page: Greg Mulholland (Liberal Democrat - Leeds North West)National Planning Policy Framework
Greg Mulholland Excerpts
Greg Clark
It certainly will be. What I did not say was that the National Housing Federation specifically commended the inclusion of the exceptions policy in the draft NPPF.
The framework is good for sport. The Rugby Football Union, the Football Association, the England and Wales Cricket Board, the Lawn Tennis Association and the Rugby Football League said:
“We all welcome the safeguards for sport contained within the NPPF. Thank you for your support and commitment to the sports sector—we are extremely grateful”.
The NPPF is good for excellence in design. The Royal Institute of British Architects said:
“We are delighted that the Government has accepted many of the key recommendations put forward by the RIBA.”
It stated that the framework
“will send a clear message to developers, planning officers and committees that poor quality development will no longer be accepted.”
The Design Council said that it
“wanted to say how much we welcome the fresh approach to design and to raising the bar on design standards to new heights”.
The framework is good for wildlife. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said:
“We had 3 red lines for a successful NPPF and these have all been met. The NPPF properly reflects the ambitions of the”—
natural environment White Paper—
“to halt the decline in biodiversity and to secure net gains”.
The NPPF is good for the arts. The Theatres Trust said:
“we celebrate a national planning policy that not only recognises culture, it also creates specific policies that both plan positively for cultural facilities and guard against their loss.”
It is good for our historic assets. English Heritage said:
“Thank you for your confident engagement with EH. Between us we should have secured our fabulous historic environment. We are well pleased with the result”.
The NPPF is good for local democracy. The Local Government Association said that
“local people will have a real say”
and that the framework will
“make it easier for town halls to tailor the planning system towards supporting growth that meets the area’s needs.”
The National Association of Local Councils, which represents parish and town councils, said that the proposals
“will empower communities and local councils to energise their neighbourhoods”.
The NPPF is good for everyone. The National Trust said:
“Thank you for listening to our concerns and those of our members. It is a remarkable achievement to have united almost all of the disparate voices involved”.
I think that the “almost” might have referred to some Opposition Members, but I have not given up on them.
Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) (LD)
I am sure that my right hon. Friend is coming to this point, but as the chair of the all-party parliamentary save the pub group, I commend him and the ministerial team on including pubs in the national planning policy framework for the first time. Will he ensure that the message goes out strongly that this is not the end of the matter? Local authorities will have the responsibility of ensuring that local services such as pubs, post offices and local shops are protected. Council planning departments can no longer ignore that consideration, because it is becoming their responsibility.
Greg Clark
My hon. Friend has made a distinguished contribution to the debate. Modesty alone forbade me from including the praise that was sent by the representatives of the pub companies.