The Government is ‘burying its head in the sand' by rejecting public concerns about unsustainable development resulting from planning reforms, a senior MPs has claimed.

Clive Betts, chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee made the criticisms following the Government's response to his panel of MPs report into the operation of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Mr Betts said he was ‘very disappointed' by the latest response which rejected the vast majority of the committee's evidence based recommendations – which came at the end of a long inquiry which heard from many witnesses including parish councils, housebuilders, wildlife groups and the property sector.