Government PD plans are imperfect but important

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Nicholas Boys Smith
Many are sceptical over whether the government’s proposals to extend new permitted development rights will offer any real benefit to the high street. Critics have condemned PD, saying it puts quality and affordability at risk. But the proposals could be an important step away from an “unpredictable” system, says Nicholas Boys Smith of Create Streets. Plato’s allegory of the cave described a group of prisoners so sequestrated from the rest of the world that they mistake shadows passing on the walls for reality. It sometimes feels as if the debate on planning is also stuck in a cave. Sadly, many