Bill Bryson joins fight in countryside planning row

American writer and countryside campaigner concerned that shake-up may weaken planning laws to allow for development Britain’s leading countryside campaigner, Bill Bryson, has joined a growing wave of opposition to government moves to shake up planning laws. As groups from the National Trust to the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds line up against proposals to ease new development across the country, Bryson told the Observer he was deeply concerned by the direction of policy. “The government’s good intentions risk being undermined by the talk of economic growth at any cost,” said the American writer, who champions the English countryside and is president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). “We are deeply worried to learn that environmental laws are regarded as red tape and that the planning system might be weakened to allow for more development.” Bryson’s intervention in the increasingly bitter debate came as countryside, amenity and environmental groups stepped up pressure on the planning minister, Greg Clark, to rethink the proposals. On Saturday Clark told the BBC’s Today programme that he was willing to discuss details with groups such as the National Trust, but said there would be no U-turn. Critics believe that a new emphasis on development will lead to the loss of green space and unjustified speculative development. The National Trust’s director

Posted by on September 3, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.