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Chancellor George Osborne and communities secretary Eric Pickles have reiterated the government鈥檚 determination to press ahead with planning reform despite vocal opposition in a letter in the Financial Times.

Osborne and Pickles have argued that planning was key to the economic recovery: 鈥淣o one should underestimate our determination to win this battle.鈥�

鈥淧lanning reform is key to our economic recovery. Opponents claim, falsely, the government is putting the countryside in peril. We say that sticking with the old, failed planning system puts at risk young people鈥檚 future prosperity and quality of life.鈥�

Osborne and Pickles also argued that planning delays are costing the UK economy up to 拢3bn a year.

鈥淚t is twice as expensive to get planning permission in London鈥檚 West End than in Paris, and 10 times more than in Brussels,鈥� they add.

The government launched the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) in July in an attempt to simplify the planning structure. The framework, which reduces a thousand pages of planning guidelines into no more than 60, includes a presumption in favour of 鈥榮ustainable development鈥�.

Groups including the National Trust and the Campaign to Protect Rural England have dubbed the new framework a 鈥渄evelopers鈥� charter鈥� and demanded clarification over what can constitute sustainable development as well as guarantees for protection of green belt land.

Groups are also concerned over details in the proposals which call on councils to ensure that 20% more land was available for development than current levels.

Planning minister Greg Clark also defended the controversial plans over the weekend, saying that the changes were 鈥渁bsolutely crucial鈥�.

However Clark agreed to talk to opponents to make sure their concerns could be addressed. Clark, who has come under attack from councillors in his own constituency of Tunbridge Wells over the planning reforms, said it was 鈥渜uite right鈥� that groups should be consulted due to the extent of the changes.

鈥淟et鈥檚 be forensic about this - if there are particular aspects or sentences that you don鈥檛 think express clearly enough the protections that are there, then let鈥檚 talk about it.鈥� Clark said.

The Chartered Institute for Housing (CIH) has announced it is in broad favour of the changes saying that the NPPF provides 鈥榓 golden opportunity to provide part of the solution鈥� to the housing crisis.

Grainia Long, CIH interim chief executive, said: 鈥淥ver the last thirty years the failure to build the homes we need has left this country with a housing crisis which has resulted in a shortage of 142,000 homes every year.

鈥淭he draft National Planning Policy Framework is clear in its aims; it wants to provide freedom for every community to have the homes that they need.

鈥淏ut to make this work, Local Authorities must take the lead in driving this forward; they must engage with residents and decide when to make the case for new housing that helps local people and economies.鈥�

Long stressed that the framework will work only if Local Authorities produce a robust and strategic Local Plan detailing what development they expect in their areas.

Long added: 鈥淗ouse building is currently at its lowest peacetime levels since 1924, if we do not do something to reverse this trend the impact will be far further afield than just a shortage of houses.鈥�