Government plans to reform the planning system have been described as "unclear" by North Yorkshire County Council.

The council is set to respond to a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on sweeping changes to “streamline and modernise” the planning system.

Harrogate Borough Council's response to the reforms last week said the changes would “erode local democracy”.

Now county council officials have said the proposals are unclear and lack detail, but added some ideas were “intriguing”.

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A report prepared for the county council’s business and environmental services meeting on Friday says the current planning system is “not completely broken”.

It adds the government white paper Planning for the Future "sets out a range of intriguing ideas, but is short on detail". It adds:

"It does not address all aspects of planning, choosing instead to focus heavily on processes related to housing, speed and efficiency. 

“It is worth noting that the current planning system is not completely broken. In recent years, North Yorkshire local planning authorities have had a good track record in consenting new homes in line with plan targets, and good progress has been made on working towards comprehensive up to date local plan coverage.”

'Tear it down and start again'

The white paper suggests local authorities could develop local plans by zoning land into three categories: “growth”, “renewal” or “protection”.

Other suggestions include digitalising the planning system, allowing more permitted development applications, replacing section 106 payments with a new system for developers and giving government the final say on how many homes should be built in an area.

In the foreword to the white paper, Prime Minister Boris Johnson was critical of the current planning system.

He said: