CLA Consultation Response to New Towns Draft Programme

The CLA have responded to the government's most recent consultation on the New Towns Draft Programme which looks at how they will deliver 7 proposed 'New Towns'. The CLA supports the clarity of the proposed New Towns planning policy. However, government should assess the impact of new towns on existing rural businesses and growth and seek to minimise the loss of best and most versatile agricultural land. We suggest that environmental and heritage harm is dealt with via early mitigation and there must be a focus on the beneifts of off-site biodiversity net gain (BNG) for these developments. Safeguarding land for new towns must not stifle neighbouring rural communities, and we are calling for arguing early, constructive engagement with landowners, with compulsory purchase powers used only when essential and accompanied by a clear duty to avoid, minimise and mitigate harm before relying on compensation.