The South Glos Post

Local Conservative councillors and Green Belt campaigners have criticised confirmation that a future Labour Government would reintroduce regional housing targets.

The Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS) were a spectacular bureaucratic failure representing an affront to local democracy yet also proving ineffective in getting houses built – house building fell to the lowest level since 1924.

The South West RSS proposed 32,800 more houses for South Gloucestershire, including concreting over the Kingswood Green Belt and deleting entire communities like Shortwood, Siston and Warmley.

But the respected Planning magazine reports that Labour would reintroduce regional housing targets.

At a Royal Institute of British Architects fringe meeting at the Labour Conference the Shadow Planning Minister Jack Dromey MP said the Government’s decision to scrap the targets was “crazy”.

Mr Dromey said:

“You cannot sensibly address meeting our housing needs, infrastructure, transport and protecting our natural environment other than if you have a regional and sub-regional approach.”

“So there is no contradiction between a localist agenda that does believe in maximising local say through neighbourhood plans with saying that you’ve got to have that strategic approach, including the kind of imperatives that were inherent in the regional spatial strategy framework.”

Asked if this would include regional house building targets, Mr Dromey replied “yes”.

More: Labour hasn’t learnt from mistakes of the past »

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

Longwell Green residents, MP Chris Skidmore and local councillors Christine Price and John Calway are celebrating after saving the local Green Belt from being bulldozed by developers after a hard-fought community campaign.

The long-running campaign collected nearly 1,000 petition signatures and a protest demonstration was held with over 200 local residents turning up to show the strength of support for their local Green Belt.

The victory comes as an independent Planning Inspector dismissed an appeal for 83 houses on a Green Belt site at Williams Close, Longwell Green, following a four-day appeal hearing.

Cllr Christine Price (Con, Longwell Green), who attended the appeal hearing, welcomed the news:

“The tireless efforts of local residents made a huge difference in terms of demonstrating the strength of local feeling that there was against this hugely inappropriate application.”

“The Green Belt is there for a reason and I am pleased to see that the inspector has exposed as nonsense the developer’s claim that special circumstances existed for such a damaging development.”

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Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

Prospective Conservative MP for Kingswood, Chris Skidmore, with local councillors John Calway and Christine Price have launched a petition to stop inappropriate development on Green Belt Land in Longwell Green.

Developers are looking to build hundreds of houses on Green Belt land behind Pearsall Road and Williams Close. This is thanks to the Government’s Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which looks to impose an extra 33,000 houses on South Gloucestershire, allowing developers to build on Green Belt land. Local Labour MPs support the RSS.

Chris Skidmore, Prospective Conservative MP for the area, said, “I will be opposing this application with local councillors all the way. This is why we have set up the petition now, and hope many local people will sign. This application has only been allowed to take place due to the Labour Government’s disastrous plans to impose 33,000 houses in South Gloucestershire and build on our Green Belt. Conservatives will abolish these plans and preserve and protect our local Green Belt for future generations and for the use of the community. These fields must be saved.”

John Calway, local councillor for the area and leader of South Gloucestershire council said, “I am supporting Chris’ campaign to save these much loved local fields, which are Green Belt land and must remain green belt. Already Chris has done so much to oppose developments in Mangotsfield and Oldland Common, and I urge all local people to support the campaign and oppose this application.”

Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council