We are all awaiting the Conservative's planning Green Paper with great interest. According to a leak in last week's Planning magazine we can expect "a Conservative government to introduce an open source planning system in which communities produce their own policies in response to a national framework."

Without wishing to be too cynical, this seems awfully similar to the system we have at the moment, with a national policy dictating regional policy down to local council level.

Both also seem very similar to the system of Structured Plans and Local Plans abolished by Labour to make way for RSSs and Local Development Frameworks.

Tinkering with the details of the planning system does not seem to change the fundamentals. So why have change - and I am talking about both Labour and Conservatives - for the sake of change?

As so many of our clients in the development sector say: "Give us consistency so that we can get on with the job. Even a bad system is better than a constantly changing one."

As Gaius Petronius put it 2,000 years ago: "I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by re-organising; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation."

Plus ca change.

Tom Curtin

Tory Green Paper Almost Ready!

Well I do have to declare a little bit of an interest. I am a Tory PPC at the next general election and, as such, have a little bit of blue tint in my political goggles at the moment. The Conservatives are about to publish their long awaited Planning Green Paper. The previous two relevant papers made some interesting suggestions about how a future Tory administration could put into effect that, but this Green Paper will hopefully provide the meat on the bones.

There is a delay in the publication of this document, though. I have been in politics for some time and I don't think the industry should worry about the delay. The Conservatives are likely preparing a sophisticated 'grid' to put out new policy initiatives in the run up to the election.

But just what are 'Community Land Trusts' and 'Local Housing Trusts'? What will the new relationship be between developers and local government? How will local authorities react to a Council Tax incentive to build more homes?

All of these questions need some firm answers. Let's hope we don't have too long to wait!

Antony Calvert