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LABOUR has accused ministers of failing to protect the right of communities to object to planning applications after they instructed Tory MPs to abstain in a vote against the developers’ charter.
Only two Tory MPs rebelled and backed the opposition in Monday’s non-binding Labour motion, which the Commons passed by 231 votes to none, despite many of them praising local democracy.
The vote came after the Tories’ shock defeat to the Lib Dems in last week’s Chesham & Amersham by-election, where voters expressed anger at the proposed relaxation of planning regulations.
The government claims its Planning Bill is needed to boost the building of 300,000 homes a year in England, but campaigners warn it would curtail the right of people to object in person and dilute the power of elected planning committees.
Shadow local government secretary Steve Reed said: “The developers’ charter will gag the public and set wealthy developers loose to concrete over green spaces at will.
“The Conservatives are paying back developers for bankrolling their party. [They] have shown their support for residents is hollow and, yet again, they are taking their own voters for granted.”
