Planning Minister, Greg Clarke, has announced that he wants to speed up the planning process by bringing in a presumption in favour of sustainable development. This means that a development should go ahead if it is in line with Local Plans (developed by local authorities in consultation with communities) and it does not compromise a key sustainable development principle of the upcoming National Development Framework (up for consultation in July 2011).
Some organisations have criticised the presumption as they feel there is no adequate definition of sustainable development and they are worried that permission could be granted even "where the plan is absent, silent, indeterminate or where relevant policies are out of date".