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

Government Ministers have agreed to implement demands put forward by Conservative councillors.

Back in the summer 2009, South Gloucestershire Council’s Conservative Cabinet used the Sustainable Communities Act to call on the previous government to scrap the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) and its 32,800 housing target for the district, as well as for small business rate relief to be paid automatically.

However, whilst the previous government sat on the proposals, the Coalition Government has confirmed to the council that both demands will now be implemented through the recently-published Localism Bill, saying:

“We agree with Hampshire County Council and South Gloucestershire Council that Regional Strategies should be removed – and we will do just that in our Localism Bill.”

And:

“The Government will, through the Localism Bill, remove the legal requirement for authorities to submit an application form in order to claim Small Business Rate Relief.”

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Source: Conservative Group on South Gloucestershire Council

Conservative councillors on South Gloucestershire Council have welcomed the pledge by the new Coalition government to ‘rapidly’ scrap the previous Labour Government’s controversial Regional Spatial Strategies.

The pledge was contained in the Coalition’s ‘Our Programme for Government’ document published on Thursday 20th May.

The South West Regional Spatial Strategy (SWRSS) had proposed huge new urban extensions in order to accommodate 32,800 new houses in South Gloucestershire – plans that caused uproar amongst residents and councillors.

Last year, South Gloucestershire’s Conservative councillors submitted a Sustainable Communities Act proposal to abolish regional planning, including the government’s RSS. But Labour Ministers simply sat on the proposal and took no action.

Efforts to scrap the RSS have been made in an effort to discourage speculative planning applications, in areas such as Chipping Sodbury and Oldland Common.

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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