EIGHT Bradford Councillors have added their names to a letter to the Government demanding it drop plans for a major shake up of the planning system.

The letter, signed by over 2,000 local politicians from across the country, claims the massive overhaul would undermine "local democracy, scrutiny and accountability" - but the Government says their concerns are "entirely unfounded."

Earlier this year the Government proposed a "zoning" system to be implemented in the UK. It would see areas divided up into categories that would determine how they are developed in the future.

Some areas, such as designated Greenbelt sites, would likely be protected from future development.

However, areas that are designated "for renewal" would see developers granted automatic planning permission - removing the right of the public to object to plans, or of local Councils to have the final say on whether they go ahead.

It would also remove the requirements that some developments be publicised, which is currently required in the planning system.

Planning shake-up to save Bradford's greenfields?

The Government has said it would kick start the re-development of major brownfield sites by cutting legal red tape, but after the proposals were announced Councillor Alex Ross-Shaw, Bradford Council's Executive Member for Regeneration, Planning and Transport, said the proposals attempted to "solve a problem that doesn’t exist" - and that it was the finances of developers, and not delays in the planning process, that often held up progress.

The Telegraph & Argus held a reader survey shorty after the changes were announced. Readers were asked "Are you concerned about the shake-up of planning laws?"

80 per cent of people said they were concerned.

An open letter raising concerns about the plans has been sent to the Secretary of State for Housing, Robert Jenrick. It has been signed by over 2,000 councillors from across the political spectrum, as well as CPRE, the countryside charity, and Friends of the Earth. In it the Government is asked to re-think its proposals.

The letter says: "We believe that removing both the right of the public to be heard in person at local plan examinations, and many development control decisions from democratically elected planning committees, will lead to an unacceptable loss of local democracy, scrutiny and accountability and lead to worse outcomes for communities. This will inevitably reduce the trust that the public has in the planning system."

Bradford Councillors who have signed the letter are Cllr Martin Love (Shipley, Green), Cllr Anne Hawksworth (Ilkley, Ind), Cllr Talat Sajawal (Great Horton, Ind), Cllr Sue Duffy (Thornton and Allerton, Lab), Cllr Richard Dunbar (Thornton and Allerton, Lab), Cllr Sinead Engel (Clayton and Fairweather Green, Lab), Cllr Paul Godwin (Keighley West, Lab) and Cllr Carol Thirkill (Clayton and Fairweather Green).

Councillors from Calderdale, Leeds and Kirklees have also signed the letter.

A government spokesperson said: “These concerns are entirely unfounded and demonstrate a misunderstanding of our proposals. Our reforms to the planning system will protect our cherished countryside and green spaces for generations to come, ensuring local people agree which spaces should be protected and decisions on the Green Belt to remain with councils.

“The proposals will put local democracy at the heart of the planning process, allowing communities to exert real influence over both the location and design of development.”