[diggers350] Tories planning to make squatting a criminal offence

[Dave S]

On Saturday 20 Feb 2010, Marky B wrote:
> Squatting under threat...
> Ref: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/02/446259.html?c=on#c242964

Anyone got any idea how this...

"Curtail the ability to apply for retrospective planning permission. This will 
stop the practice of people laying down concrete on weekends or bank holidays 
and then putting in a planning application (currently, planning enforcement 
cannot commence whilst an application is pending).
[...]
Our promise to limit the concept of retrospective planning permission will 
also ensure that another route by which the planning system has been abused by 
those seeking to use unauthorised sites will be curtailed."

... is likely to affect retrospective planning applications for low-impact 
residential permaculture projects?

Are those also likely to be targeted?  Or are the Tories now "greened up" 
enough (pah!) that they are only likely to target this kind of thing at 
travellers, and will overlook genuine low-impact development?

Perhaps a silly question really (what with all politicians being self-serving 
bastards anyway), but as someone who will be going the self-build low-impact 
retrospective route in the next year or two, it concerns me greatly.

(Not that the rest of it doesn't concern me greatly as well, mind!)

Cheers,

~Dave