The Government's 'Planning for the Future' White Paper was published in August, seeking views on proposed reforms of the planning system in England. The intention is to replace the current planning system with a new one, to include streamlining and fast-tracking both plan-making and planning application procedures; and adopting a digital, more illustrative format with land categorised into three areas, Growth, Renewal and Protected - each determining a specified approach to development.

Dr Victoria Thomson, Head of National Strategy at Historic England, compares the proposals with current strategy and looks at how the changes, if implemented, could affect the future of our historic parks and gardens.