The Sunderland Conservatives have welcomed the Government’s recently announced planning white paper. These radical proposals are set to overhaul the existing planning system through a series of reforms, including a new system of land categorisation, new emphasis on community-driven local plans and improved design standards.

Deputy Leader of the Sunderland Conservatives, Cllr James Doyle, said:

‘The Sunderland Conservatives fully support the Government’s new planning white paper.

 'These proposals will democratise the planning process by doing away with the current dysfunctional development control-led system in favour of setting a local plan and design codes. This will encourage strategic planning and well-designed, sustainable communities.

'The suggestion that these proposals amount to a ‘developer’s charter’ is ridiculous. The current planning process is inherently gameable and can be manipulated in favour of large-scale developers, whereas changes to developer contributions will protect affordable housing provision, increase transparency and greatly improve local infrastructure.’