Campaign to Protect Rural England concerned over Redwood's plans
September 9, 2007
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has expressed concern with regard to John Redwood's recently published Economic Competitiveness Policy Review, calling it "confused and contradictory" and "at its worst, a recipe for environmental degradation".
The report is one of several commissioned by Conservative Leader David Cameron in order to help shape the party's manifesto for the next General Election.
A source at the CPRE said that while the report "nods towards environmental concerns" and makes "some constructive proposals", all too often it argues for policies that would cause serious environmental damage.
For example, the report:
a) says that planning must be speeded up to provide greater certainty, and the CPRE says this is potentially a recipe for the pursuit of economic development at the expense of wider sustainability considerations
b) makes supportive statements about brownfield development, but also suggests that the "over-restrictive" planning system is preventing development unnecessarily in many areas, and calls for new communities in sparsely populated areas; this, says the CPRE, could be read as a green light for greenfield development
c) bemoans the lack of motorway capacity in the UK, and argues for expansion of the road network
d) supports "damaging" government plans for new airport developments, although the CPRE says it is positive on the need for additional rail infrastructure, and public transport systems that are integrated with development.
The CPRE said, "Wholesale adoption of John Redwood's proposals would constitute a decisive, and deeply worrying, step towards a presumption in favour of development, regardless of the wider consequences."
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