Council Leader: 'Misguided' government planning reforms risk unwanted development
The Leader of Lewes District Council has spoken about the government's proposed national planning reforms and appealed to Angela Rayner, the Secretary of State for Housing, Community and Local Government, not to 'ride roughshod' over the views of residents in the district.
Councillor Nicholson said:
"I know there are many residents and groups who, like me, care deeply about how government planning policies impact on the district and know they will have contributed to the recent consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework. I'm grateful to them all and hope that the Secretary of State will really listen and not ride roughshod over our views and concerns.
"We have managed an extensive consultation exercise of our own with residents on the new Local Plan, a process that thousands of residents have contributed to, and it is critical that we don't now have misguided policy changes handed down by the government that undermine all the work we have completed - an outcome that could have very negative consequences."
Councillors are concerned that any delays to the new Local Plan will increase the likelihood of more speculative planning applications for developments that residents don't want.
Councillor Nicholson added:
"We support the government's emphasis on building on brownfield sites, but the prospect of having to find even more sites for housing in locations that are not supported by anyone in the district, is one this council would find intolerable.
"We are calling for actual assessments of local housing need and conditions to shape future housing supply and an end to mandatory targets that bear no relation to local geography, demographics and the views of our residents."
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