Winds farms, more homes, and green belt review – how could government planning reforms affect Shropshire

Days after taking office the new Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a host measures as part of "urgent action needed to fix our planning system".

They include some obvious solutions such as 'more planning officers', but also potentially more drastic changes such as reviewing green belt land, lifting the 'ban' on onshore windfarms, and setting targets to build up to 1.5 million homes in five years.

All of these are policies that could have major implications for development in Shropshire.

Announcing the plans the chancellor spoke of her desire to "get Britain building again," but acknowledged "there will be opposition to this".

In light of what look to be major changes in attitude and policy to planning in England, the chief executive of one of the county's leading planning agents has given their insight on the shift, and what the plans could mean for Shropshire.

Stuart Thomas, chief executive and head of planning at Berrys, said it could be "time to rediscover the importance of positive planning in the UK".

He welcomed the government's focus on the planning system, and said it could see "more homes built in the towns and village where they are needed the most," as well as fresh interest in the county as a site for windfarms.

Mr Thomas said there could also be "radical" changes in the approach to green belt land.

He said: "In all my years of doing this job I can’t ever recall seeing planning being placed front and centre of government policy. Buy why not? Without an effective and functioning planning system we don’t have homes, places of work, roads, schools or energy.

"Planning makes things happen and it should be at the heart of any government’s policy for growth and economic development.

"Planning can and should be a force for good. It was always a system put in place to facilitate growth in post war era, to get the country moving again.

"Somewhere along the way the profession lost its way and the system we have now is riddled with bureaucracy and negative, energy sapping mindsets that often easily find a way to say no rather than yes.

"It doesn’t have to be this way and maybe this is the time to rediscover the importance of positive planning in the UK.

"It has become clear in the past week that the reform of the planning system is at the heart of the government thinking.

"Keir Starmer’s first speech as PM placed a strong focus on "rebuilding" the country's "infrastructure of opportunity", doing so "brick by brick".

"This week, we heard from Rachel Reeves in her first speech as chancellor. The speech was dedicated to planning reform but what does it all mean for Shropshire?"

Re-imposed top-down housebuilding targets of 1.5 million homes over five years – It is recognised by everyone in the planning industry that we simply don’t build enough housing in the UK to match demand.

"There are a plethora of reasons for this however recently there has been a shift away from central government targets to a more localised approach.

"More often than not this has led to housing targets being revised downwards by local Councils. Shropshire have opted for a high growth strategy, but this only equates to annual housebuilding rates being broadly the same as they were in 2010.