Kew Society raises concerns about impact of new planning policy
July 2024
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) launched a consultation on reforms to the National Policy Planning Framework (NPPF – the document that sets out the government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied – see here).
These reforms are designed ‘to achieve sustainable growth in our planning system’. The consultation ended on 24 September.
The Kew Society fully acknowledges the need for more housing in Greater London, but not at the expense of long-term harm to the historic and local environment.
Our response focused on this topic, including objections to:
(a) removing the clause (paragraph 130) which requires the character of an existing area to be considered when higher than average densities are proposed for new housing developments; and
(b) removing the reference to consistency with the prevailing height of neighbouring properties when considering the upward extension of existing residential and commercial properties (paragraph 122(e))‘.
