Why the Tory planning changes are a disaster for your community

Power is taken away from local areas. Planning Policy will be set by the government in Westminster. It will ignore the needs and wishes of local people.

Fewer affordable homes. Developers may only need to provide affordable homes when building 40 or more houses. Currently they have to provide it when building 10 or more, in most places.

Reduced democracy and local accountability. "Right to be heard" removed from planning legislation and your councillors will not make decisions on many applications.

Less money for local projects. Contributions to reduce the effect of a development on the local community will be scrapped. The Infrastructure Levy will only become payable after the houses are built, so councils won't be able to do improvements before people move in.

No climate change reduction. The paper does not make climate change, carbon reduction or biodiversity a key priority.

Top down housing targets. Government will set the council a target for house building and the council will have to stick to it, regardless of environmental pressures.

Your area will be zoned. The country will be divided into Growth, Renewal and Protection areas. But nature doesn't recognise artificial boundaries. Biodiversity can't flourish in isolated fragments of land.

No duty to co-operate. Targets will be set nationally so co-operation between councils will be damaged. Environmental impacts on neighbouring areas could be ignored.