By Ben Clifford, UCL

Radical reforms proposed to the planning system in England seek to deliver more housing by reducing ‘planning risk’, the uncertainty associated with navigating the regulatory process to gain permission for development. These proposals, made by the UK government in awhite paperpublished in August 2020, would alter most elements of the current approach, including how plans are made, decision-making on consenting individual proposals, and engagement opportunities for stakeholders. These reforms could have significant implications for our built and natural environments, as well as for local democracy, and so should be of interest to many.

Although the planning system deals with much more than just housing, the driver for making significant changes to the planning system comes from the so-called ‘housing crisis’ in England (planning is adevolved issuein the UK). Thehousing crisisis actually a multi-faceted issue, involving issues of demand for, and…