200,000 sign National Trust petition for planning rethink
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.More than 200,000 people have signed a National Trust petition calling on the Government to rethink its controversial planning reforms, the organisation said yesterday. Around 210,000 signatures have been handed in on the last day of the Government's public consultation into the proposed reforms.
Ministers say changes to the planning system, which slim down more than 1,000 pages of policy to just 52, are needed to boost growth at the same time as giving communities more say in protecting the environment.
But concerns have been raised that the reforms, which focus on a "presumption in favour of sustainable development" without a clear definition of what that means, could lead to a return to damaging development and urban sprawl.
The National Trust, with a number of other groups, has been calling for changes to the draft national planning policy framework to ensure it protects the countryside.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
0Comments