Fury over Keir Starmer’s ‘shameful’ plans to speed up house building near ‘precious’ parks | UK | News
Labor has been accused of “uncertainty and distraction” after finally opening a consultation on controversial plans designed to speed up the planning system. The government has confirmed it will begin considering proposals to remove three bodies from the list of organizations planners must consult before building starts, falling months behind schedule.
The Gardens Trust, one of the bodies currently left in limbo, has previously described the plans as “disgraceful” and warned they should be scrapped because they could put valuable green spaces across the country under threat from builders, developers and highway construction, a legal adviser has warned. Chairman John Watkins said the organization would “strongly oppose” the proposal, adding that they “strongly disagree” the move would improve the planning process.
He told the Express: “Instead, precious parks and gardens that have both grown and improved over the centuries will fall into the hands of communities, both now and in the future.
“It is also incredibly frustrating and disappointing that after hinting in February that the launch of this consultation was imminent, the Government has now delayed, delayed and delayed again, creating a huge amount of uncertainty and distraction.
“We are passionate about the role the UK’s world-famous historic parks and gardens can play in supporting positive economic growth and healthy, interconnected communities, and we are keen to continue protecting them.”
He added: “We are pleased to see that there has already been a significant increase in opposition to this proposal across the political spectrum in parliament and we encourage supporters to increase this opposition further by responding to the consultations.”
It comes as Labor seeks to accelerate the pace of house building amid a housing crisis. The government is falling short of its ambitious promise to build 1.5 million homes in England by the end of this parliament. Latest figures show 231,300 new homes were built between last year’s election and September this year.
The Gardens Trust is the only national charity dedicated to protecting and preserving the UK’s designed landscape heritage and refuses to slow down the planning system. He points out that only 69 zoning applications were objected to in 2024-2025. This includes plans to see around 1,100 new homes built or impacting the areas it protects.
Many of the landscapes it seeks to preserve are on the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England.
Chatsworth House Gardens in Derbyshire and Highgate Cemetery in London are among more than 1,700 registered sites.
News of the consultation launch comes after the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced that housing projects near some stations will receive a “default yes” from planners.
Housing Minister Steve Reed is set to announce changes to planning rules that will make it easier to build in “well-connected” areas within a 15-minute walk of train and tram stations, including on green belt land.
It is part of a series of measures that Mr Reed is expected to announce on Tuesday.
These include the proposed removal of The Gardens Trust as well as Sport England and Theaters Trust as legal advisers.
Mr Reed said this would “streamline” the process and “reduce delays”.
“I promised we would build Britain and that’s exactly what we’ve done,” Mr Reed said.
An MHCLG spokesman has previously said the Government has “absolutely no intention of building historic parks or protected areas”.
The consultation will begin on Tuesday.
