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10 swindonlink.com • September 2011
                                                                    Changes to the planning system are

               Foster for Swindon                                     deeply fl awed and could have dire
                                                                       consequences for communities

                                                                    Richard Pagett of environmental group Purton Ps&Qs explains
               People Like You - Providing a Home                    that the notion of sustainable development is misunderstood

                                                                   Streamlining  the  national  plan-  The  defi nition  for  development
                                                                   ning policies of over 1,000 pages  continues: ‘We must accommodate the
               Make a big difference to children                   to around 65 is welcome, but it is  new ways by which we will earn our
               and young people in Swindon. Foster.                inevitable that there will be either  living in a competitive world.’ This is
                                                                   insuffi cient detail, lack of clarity or  surely self-evident and would apply
                                                                   suffi cient fog to create opportuni-  equally  to  development  without
                                                                   ties to hijack the planning process  growth. It goes on:
                                  01793 465700
                            [email protected]         for short-term commercial ends.   ‘We must house a rising population,
                                www.swindon.gov.uk                   There  is  a  real  danger  that  this  which  is  living  longer  and  wants  to
                                                                   hijacking will occur with the use of  make new choices.’ This is quite un-
                                                                   the term ‘sustainable development’ as  fathomable. The ‘rising population’ is
                                                                   it is defi ned in the framework.   a problem of our own making and
                                                                     The  presumption  in             simply  accommodating
                                                                   favour  of  sustainable            it  without  further  com-
                                                                   development  is  to  be            mentary  seems  quite
                                                                   warmly welcomed, if only           irresponsible.
                                                                   the  concept  of  sustain-           The UK population is
                                                                   able  development  were            set  to rise to 70 million
                                                                   adequately  defi ned,  ex-          by  2050.  In  the  UK  we
                                                                   plained and unequivocal.           have fi nite land resources
                                                                   Sadly it is not.                   and  many  authorities
                                                                     What is clear, according         have calculated that the
                                                                   to  the  Chancellor  of  the       optimum  population  of
                                                                   Exchequer’s statement in this year’s  Britain is 30 to 35 million.
                                                                   budget, is that the answer to devel-  It is not enough to say simply that
                                                                   opment  growth  should  wherever  we must house a rising population. We
                                                                   possible be ‘yes.’          need to do more , we need to refl ect
                                                                     There is a clear tension between  and recognise that our population
                                                                   economic  growth  and  sustainable  growth is unsustainable. Merely re-
                                                                   development  and  this  new  docu- sponding by  building more houses,
                                                                   ment provides inadequate guidance  is inappropriate and, of course, un-
                                                                   on both.                    sustainable. We pay our politicians
                                                                     There is a presumption that there  to do better than that.
                ABSOLUTELY THE BEST PRICES IN 2011                 will be more certainty to communi-  The  document  continues:  ‘our
                                                                   ties, developers and investors, and  lives, and the places in which we live
                                                                   a reinforcement of the emphasis on  them,  can  be  better,  but  they  will
                                                                   a positive plan-led approach to sus-  certainly be worse if things stagnate.’
                                                                   tainable growth. Yet there is no clar- What a negative way of presenting
                                                                   ity on what constitutes sustainable  a  superb  opportunity.  Sustainable
                                                                   growth; indeed it is quite clear that  development  has  everything  to
                                                                   this presumption is merely a recipe  offer  the  present  generation  and
                                                                   for anarchic planning outcomes.   future generations, yet to say that if
                                                                     The fi rst sentence of the Ministe- we do not do that, we will stagnate
              See the carpet or fl oor                              rial  Foreword  says:  ‘the  purpose  of  simply misunderstands the way that
              covering of your choice,                             planning is to help achieve sustainable  development occurs.
              where it will be enjoyed, next                       development.’                It concludes, ‘sustainable develop-
              to your other furnishings.                             The  above  statement  is  poten-  ment is about change for the better, and
                                                                   tially the best part of this framework  not only in our built environment.’ It
              Home Choose Carpets - the
              family run business with over                        document because it is accurate and  really  has  become  very  muddled;
                                                                                               sustainable  development  is  not
                                                                   appropriate.
              30 year’s experience of serving                        Sadly,  the  defi nition  of  sustain-  about change for the better, but it is
              customers in the Swindon area.                       able development in the document  about change. And it cannot possibly
              Free estimates. Luxury underlay,                     undermines  that  purpose.  It  says  be only about our built environment.
              all accessories and installation                     ‘sustainable means ensuring that better  The concept of sustainable develop-
              included in the price!                               lives for ourselves [sic] don’t mean worse  ment is an equal priority, not only for
                                                                   lives for future generations.’ Given that  natural resources but also economic
              No hidden extras; no                                 we have no idea what future genera-  development and social justice.
              obligation - just great service                      tions will think is a better life, it is   The defi nition presented by this
              Appointments to suit you:                            impossible to know how to run our  Ministerial Foreword, on which the
              day, evening or weekend                              lives in order to provide equivalent  new  planning  framework  hangs
                                                                   lives for the future.       is  deeply  unsatisfactory.  It  seems
                  Call Trevor Salter on                              This is further compromised by  to be completely ignorant of what
                  01793 812995                                     the defi nition for development which  sustainable development means de-
                or 07860 882588                                    says development means growth. There  spite this government and previous
                                                                   are  several  studies  to  show  that  governments being involved with
                       or email:                                      development does not necessarily  sustainable development concepts
               [email protected]                       mean growth and, some countries  for more than two decades.
                www.carpetsswindon.co.uk                           recognise  that  there  is  more  to  •  Read  Richard’s  full  analysis  at
                                                                   development than simply growth.   www.swindonlink.com




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