黑洞社区

Berkeley Homes boss Rob Perrins and communities minister Eric Pickles have defended the industry against attacks by anti-development campaigners on the government鈥檚 proposed National Planning Policy Framework, which includes a controversial 鈥減resumption in favour of sustainable development鈥�.

Perrins, group managing director of Berkeley Homes, told delegates at the RESI housebuilding conference in Wales: 鈥淲e will produce jobs for every house we build and we shouldn鈥檛 get into such narrow debates.鈥�

Pickles also used the stage at RESI, a conference run by 黑洞社区鈥檚 parent company UBM, to condemn the campaign, orchestrated by the National Trust and the Daily Telegraph, against the planning reforms.

锘縒e shouldn鈥檛 get into such narrow debates

Rob Perrins

Pickles claimed critics of the NPPF had not done their homework. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e got hot and bothered without reading the consultation documents,鈥� he said.

Pickles also dismissed the controversy surrounding the NPPF鈥檚 鈥減resumption in favour of sustainable development鈥�.

鈥淭here鈥檚 always been a presumption in favour of development since the 1948 [Town and County Planning] Act,鈥� he said.

The minister said the government was committed to greater development and wanted to 鈥済et Britain building again鈥�. He claimed the NPPF changes were necessary to reform planning and to cut the cost of development.

Perrins also defended Berkeley Homes against claims by the RIBA that contractors are building inadequate 鈥渟hoebox鈥� homes and said that the RIBA鈥檚 criticisms ran counter to the aspirations of consumers.

He said: 鈥淧eople want to own their own homes and we tend to provide the right range. You鈥檝e got to provide a mix of products and our small units have very good design.鈥�