How much housing, and where it should go is a decision that should be taken by the local communities that will be affected by it. The Coalition Government have announced plans to put planning back into the hands of local communities and to scrap the Regional Spatial Strategi
es. The vast array of unelected quangos will each have to pass a 'usefulness' and 'value for money' test to justify their continued existence.
In a letter Rt. Hon. Eric Pickles MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government announced he would abolish the bureaucracy of regional planning which was the legacy of John Prescott and the previous Labour Government. You can read the full letter in the 'Latest Information' section.
Housing development is, of course, necessary but the infrastructure must be in place and there must be correct consultation, taking into account existing local communities and the environmental impact. This Government will deliver planning power back to local authorities that know and understand the local area. Steps are being taken to replace unaccountable Regional Development Agencies with new local enterprise partnerships of local firms and Councils working together. I share the deep concerns of many of my constituents regarding the West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (WNDC) and the West Northamptonshire Joint Planning Committee (WNJPC) and the power they have in our local community and I expressed these concerns in a meeting with the Chairman and Chief Executive of the WNDC. I have also tabled Written Parliamentary Questions to the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding the futures of the WNDC and WNJPC and you can read the response in the 'Parliamentary Questions' section below or here. I hope you will be reassured by the response.
Whilst I was pleased to learn that the WNJPC could be dissolved at the request of the local authority, I also wanted clarification that if it was dissolved then a 'planning vacuum' would not be formed in the absence of a current local plan which could lead to private developers launching appeals to the Planning Inspectorate which would be expensive and the local authorities may lose. The letter in response from Bob Neill MP, Parliamentary under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government is in 'Latest Information and Letters'.
The Localism Bill which is going through Parliament at the moment will abolish Regional Spatial Strategies and remove top down housing targets and return local planning power back to communities and local authorities. It was presented to Parliament on Monday 13 December and had its Second Reading on Monday 17 January and I spoke in that debate about the urgent need for local communities to have a far greater say in how their communities look and feel.
In a recent debate I secured in Parliament on the Government's policy on planning I asked the Minister about the timetable for abolishing the WNDC and stressed that this could not happen soon enough.
I am already working with local councils and residents associations on this issue. I recently met with the Northamptonshire Resident's Association and many other representatives from resident's associations across Northamptonshire attended to discuss the plans for housing development across the county which have recently been announced by the WNJPU. The meeting was very well attended which shows what a big issue this is and how concerned and angry residents are at the plans put forward by the WNJPU. You can read the full report here.
I will do all I can to keep local residents up to date with developments and represent your views on planning in Parliament.
Photograph shows Andrea with Michael Ellis MP (Northampton North) & Councillors demonstrating in Northampton.
