Town and Country Planning Association director Gideon Amos of the TCPA called for a rethink on the role and objectives of planning, and criticised the Planning Green Paper for lacking this. &amp;“There was a time that planning meant building communities, delivering homes,&amp;” he said. &amp;“The Green Paper included virtually nothing on what the objectives of planning are.&amp;” Amos said the planning system has become bound up in regulation and that &amp;“local authorities lack the resources, powers and leadership to deliver.&amp;”<p></p><p> He emphasised the need for infrastructure improvements to provide growth opportunities. &amp;“Infrastructure is the main problem. If trains went to the Thames Gateway then people would build houses there.&amp;”</p><p></p>