Government plans are recipe for planning blight, says LGA

The government wants to get planning officers "off people's backs" with a relaxation of current rules in England.

The government will consult on allowing people, for a three-year period, to build larger extensions on houses - up to 8m long for detached homes.

Rules on shops and offices expanding and on developments having to include affordable housing will be relaxed as ministers seek to boost the economy.

But Clyde Loakes of the Local Government Association (LGA) said some of the government's proposals were "a recipe for planning blight".