CONCERNS have been raised over a proposed overhaul of the planning system amid fears that it would increase inequality in Southampton.

Cllr Lisa Mitchell said she is worried that the reform to the planning system proposed by the government will not give residents a say on a number of developments and it will lead to further inequality in the city.

But the government stressed that the new system will deliver high-quality homes and residents will be engaged.

According to the proposals, plans for development on former

industrial sites could be approved “automatically”.

There would also be “a statutory presumption” in favour of development being granted for some sites in town centres.

While schemes for “protected areas” would be scrutinised further.

The government said this will speed up the planning process.

But Cllr Mitchell, chair of the Planning and Rights of Way Panel at Southampton City Council, said this could result in poor quality homes in some areas of the city.

She said: “I am worried that some of our poorest communities will have to burden the weight of this reform and that their communities will become a concrete jungle whilst we will still have leafy areas that will be protected areas. I am worried and angry.”

She said so far the planning panel has been able to refuse applications and made developers improve the standards of the schemes they were proposing before giving them the green light.

But she fears that this would not be possible in the future. She acknowledged that a reform of the system is needed but she said that the one proposed is “unfair”.“It turns the planning system into another arm of the development industry,” Cllr Mitchell added.

She said to be worried about the impact the reform will have on the environment and the contribution developers make towards affordable homes.

But the government said the reform will provide “a more effective community engagement” during the preparation of the local plan and it will put local democracy “at the heart of the planning process”.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said: “We’ll increase the supply of land available for new homes where it is needed to address affordability pressures, support economic growth and the renewal of our towns and cities. We’re reforming the country’s outdated planning system to deliver the high-quality, sustainable homes communities need, placing environmental protection, community engagement and sustainability at the heart of our reforms.”