NEWS FROM MEDWAY LABOUR
More than 80% oppose Developers’ Charter – time for local leaders in Medway to unite against plans to end community rights to say over bad developments – including our local MPs
Labour councillors in Medway have today renewed calls for a united front against the Government’s Developers’ Charter as new polling reveals 80% oppose plans to prevent local people from having a say over new developments in our community.
These calls come after backing from both sides at Medway’s full council meeting to a motion created by Shadow Secretary of State for Local Government Steve Reed launched during this year’s Local Government Association Conference.
Councillor Naushabah Khan, Labour and Co-Operative Spokesperson for Housing, said:
“The whole country is uniting against the dreadful plans to prevent local people from having a say over new developments in our communities. Now it’s time for local leaders to send a clear message – Medway says no to the Developers’ Charter.”
“We have to build more homes, but we have to do it the right way. Under this Conservative Government’s plans local people would have no right to a say over anything built in Medway from ugly and unsightly buildings to slums and bad developments over our treasured green spaces. That has to be wrong.”
Councillor Nick Bowler, Labour and Co-Operative Spokesperson for Planning, said:
“It’s now time for councillors from all parties to back our message to government so Medway can stand together and defeat these outrageous proposals. We have seen the vote at full council, now we need our Medway MPs to act.”
According to a poll commissioned by the Conservative-led Local Government Association Eight in 10 residents want to be able to have their say on all new homes built in their local community. 82% felt it was important to be able to comment on individual plans for all housing developments in their local area. Nearly half (49 per cent) said it was “very” important while a third (32 per cent) said “fairly” important.
Latest figures show more than 1.1 million homes given planning permission over the past decade are yet to be built, and councils are approving nine in 10 planning applications. There is also land for more than one million additional homes already allocated in Local Plans which developers have not yet brought forward to planning application stage.
Councillor Simon Curry, Labour and Co-Operative Spokesperson for Regeneration, said:
“Labour supported the unifying motion at full council, created by Labour. We believe planning works best when developers and the local community work together to shape local areas and deliver necessary new homes. Now it is time for our Medway MPs to support our local communities in the same way that Medway Labour does”
Original Letter from Steve Reed MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, is below.
