'Relax planning laws' advises economist

Town planning rules are set for a major overhaul after a senior economist advised the government that current regulations are holding back economic growth.

Bank of England's economist Kate Barber insists that the UK economy is being held down by the bureaucratic burden of planning regulations and that obtaining permission to build new commercial centres or developments on an individuals' homes should be made easier.

Due to its rigid policy to prevent building on green belt areas around major cities, the UK has roughly twice as much protected land as other industrialised nations, the economic viability of which the report is expected to question.

Local authorities currently undergo a 'needs' test when considering town developments but Ms Barker recommends "removing the requirement to demonstrate the need for development".

Andy Kilman, spokesperson for the Royal Town Planning Institute, said that such a move could be "disastrous" for local communities because it gives licence for developers planning to build huge out of town shopping centres that "would take away from the town centre and destroy it".

If the legal machinations follow the direction of Ms Barber's report, homeowners are likely find it easier to gain planning permission for extensions as she argues that no proposal should be turned down that does not have a sizeable impact on others.