The National Trust has indicated "grave concerns" over the Government's proposed planning reforms for England and says they could lead to unchecked and damaging development in undesignated countryside on a scale not seen since the 1930s.
It said the default "yes" to development presumption finally sounds the death knell to the principle established in 1947 that the planning system should be used to protect what is most special in the landscape, creating a tool to promote economic growth in its stead.
Director-general Fiona Reynolds said those principles remain as necessary as ever and weakening them would mean a return to 1930s sprawl.
"Development that works must pass a triple bottom line test - by showing that it meets the needs of people and the environment as well as the economy," she said.
"Despite some warm words to this effect, the document makes it clear that development is to be encouraged, even urging local authorities to promote more development than is in the plan and over-allocate land for housing."
The move is highly significant as the Trust is normally reluctant to launch direct assaults on Government policy.
But it has launched a campaign to show what people value about local places and the importance of planning principles and, with 3.8m members it packs significant clout.
"The National Trust shares the Government's commitment to localism but it has got the changes to planning wrong," said Ms Reynolds.
"We urge a rethink of the NPPF before we throw the baby out with the bathwater."
The Government was obviously rattled by the move, given the Trust's huge membership, and DCLG issued a formal response.
"The draft policy framework fulfils the commitment in the coalition agreement to protect the green belt and areas of outstanding natural beauty," it said.
"There are similarly strong protections for the historic environment, which have been welcomed by heritage bodies. These protections are crystal clear in the document. In fact the policy framework gives communities a brand new opportunity to protect those green spaces outside of the green belt that are of particular special value to the community. There is a strict test that all new growth must be sustainable. Where it is consistent with environmental objectives - including maintaining the green belt - proposals should proceed without delay."
The response is significant in that it makes clear that greenfield protection would be limited only to the minority of areas covered by green belt, AONB or national park designations. The rest is up for grabs, something the Trust was quick to respond to.
"DCLG's statement in response to ours is puzzling, since we made it clear that our concerns were not about the protections that have been retained for designated places (green belt, National Parks and AONBs)," it said.
"We are pleased to see these things picked out for special treatment, though we will be looking closely at the detail. Rather, our point was about the overall effect of the draft Framework, which puts considerations of profit and driving the economy forward above those of people and places. Our criticisms on these points have not been answered, and we demand that Government thinks again before going down this road."
