It is ironic then that Paul Scriven's proposed privatisation of 'commercial planning' implies exactly the opposite (Telegraph, July 18). In Coun Scriven's 'planet' Sheffield, the strap line is "Sheffield - where only business matters".

Coun Scriven's prognostications betray a profound ignorance of the planning system: there is no such subset of planning known as 'commercial planning', for example.

The culture change he advocates is no less than the abandonment of the 'public service ethos', in which planning officers are publicly accountable to democratically elected councillors, rather than vested business interests. He also appears to have completely missed the profoundly positive effects the planning service has had on the quality of development in Sheffield over the last five to 10 years.

Sheffield is rightly recognised as having been the subject of carefully considered, coherent and high quality regeneration initiatives, as opposed to the often ill-conceived, chaotic and incoherent redevelopment that cities and conurbations, like Leeds and Manchester, have been subjected to.

Paul Houghton of Grant Thornton, who are presumably favourites for the consultancy commission to put Coun Scriven's flawed vision into practice cites unspecified "stumbling blocks in the way of affordable development and stifled business opportunities", in their, as yet, unpublished report.

Presumably, he is actually referring to the aspiration to secure high quality design, materials and build quality developments within Sheffield, and comply with local and national planning policy and guidance.

Let it be absolutely clear: there are very few developments in Sheffield where planning has not played a pro-active role in improving design quality, and ensuring development is bespoke to Sheffield. This is as it should be ---- unless you are Paul Houghton or Coun Scriven.
Equally, in enacting local and national policies and guidance, planners in Sheffield are doing what every local planning authority is obliged to do. Privatisation or "the axe" as the heading so pithily put it is therefore, in effect, shooting the messenger, and again displays a significant ignorance of how the planning system works.

What Coun Scriven and his colleagues in the business community appear to want from planners is for them to be a group of toothless 'yes' men and women, eager to comply with business's every whim, irrespective of the wider public interest or, indeed, local or national planning policy considerations. Out must go democratic accountability and scrutiny, in favour of a business friendly planning service. There is a town not far from Sheffield, where planning became very, very business friendly in the recent past; it is called Doncaster. There is no more which needs to be said.




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