Company bosses sign letter to The Times backing government planning reform

A ‘creaking’ planning system is threatening economic recovery and driving investors away from Britain according to a letter signed by 22 business leaders in The Times today.

The signatories, including Westfield CEO Ian Livingston and former M&S chief executive Sir Stuart Rose, welcomed the government’s proposed planning reform in the draft National Planning Policy Framework

In the letter the company bosses say the current planning system was putting a break on growth. “If we want the jobs and prosperity that growth brings, we must tackle head on the sluggish pace and disproportionate costs of planning,” they declared.

They rejected fears voiced by The National Trust that the planning changes favouring sustainable development would see large swathes of the countryside concreted over.