Anyone need to meet some politicians and influence government policy? If you and your company do, there are thousands of public affairs or lobbying companies in Britain touting their wares to business and interest groups, as being capable of arranging a quiet coffee with a minister, a meeting with a civil servant, or organising an invite-only dinner with MPs.

The new National Planning Policy Framework is a big chance to make Britain better for future generations as well as our own. That is what sustainability is all about. We are determined that the beguiling convenience of the present must not overshadow the needs of the new generation and those that will follow them. There is no reason why growth should mean ugliness. It can - and should - improve our physical environment. Anyone who thinks otherwise should take a tour around our great cities, towns and villages and consider the diminished place that Britain would be if our forebears had been adamant in their opposition to new development.

Seven months is a long time in legislation. It was only last December that the Localism Bill was published amid a fanfare of radical decentralisation, communities "in control" and a "power shift" to those who know their areas best. New radical rights to draw up neighbourhood plans were unveiled and communities pricked up their ears and wondered.