It’s far too easy for a vocal minority who’ve already got their foot on the housing ladder to pull it up after themselves. A representative planning system will unlock the new homes we need, says Simon Clarke

For decades, Britain’s planning system has been run by the same cast of characters: the colonel guarding his cul-de-sac, the eco-lobbyist worshiping disused cabbage patches, and the parish councillor who measures progress in the width of a hedge. They turn up at the town hall at 2pm on a Wednesday, wave their clipboards, and drown out everyone else. And under this Labour government, that’s all it takes to win.

That’s not local democracy. That’s a sham. And it’s the reason why UK house prices are at their most unaffordable relative to earnings since Queen Victoria was on the throne.

Representative planning would flip this on its head. Instead of a system run by whoever has the time and money to lodge objections when everyone else is at work, it would ask the whole community what they think.........

© City A.M.