A wholescale review of the planning reforms and the re-introduction of strategic planning are needed if the Government is to achieve its housebuilding targets, county council leaders say.

The County Councils Network (CCN) argues that the planning system is ‘too fragmented’ and that infrastructure has not kept pace with development, leading to overcrowding on roads and public services.

CCN says that strategic planning should be a major part of future reforms. They argue it would help deliver more homes, better infrastructure, and investment zones.

Reforms to the planning system are currently included in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, but CCN says they should be removed from that bill and reshaped proposals including strategic planning included in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill.

Cllr Roger Gough, planning and infrastructure spokesperson for the CCN, said: ‘We welcome the prospect of the government bringing forward new proposals to reform the planning system in a forthcoming Planning and Infrastructure Bill. Over a number of years there has been far too much focus on headline housebuilding numbers, rather than on planning as a whole, and on the infrastructure that is needed to make developments viable in the long-term.

‘The new bill should contain a power to re-introduce strategic planning into the system, which would be a win-win for a government looking to build more homes and generate economic growth. By giving county councils a renewed role to work collaboratively with district councils in their area, we can come together to plan for houses in the right areas, backed by the necessary infrastructure, and ensure that investment zones get off the ground quickly.’