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Reaction to the Autumn Statement
CPRE has reacted to the Autumn Statement and Spending Review, where the Chancellor made a number of announcements on issues affecting the countryside.
Housing:
We have long been asking the Government to stop fixating on the planning system. Figures show that planning permissions are not the issue; the issue is that developers are not building the homes for which they have permission. Landbanking is a major problem and we are saying to developers to get on and build to deliver the housing we need.
Paul Miner, planning campaign manager at the CPRE comments:
“Although we welcome a focus on brownfield development, we’re wary of moves to develop brownfield sites in the Green Belt – many Green Belt sites classed as ‘brownfield’ contain a lot of valuable open land, often historic parkland, which should be kept undeveloped.
“The Chancellor wasn’t clear on the implications of the ‘delivery test’ for local authorities on housing, but we’d remind him that our recent Set up to fail report found most or all current local plan housing targets to be undeliverable because of the reliance on private sector builders to deliver on the targets set. A ‘delivery test’ should therefore apply to developers and the Government (through providing necessary supporting infrastructure funding) as well as local authorities.
“We also remain keen to hear more about the previously promised £1 billion Brownfield Fund and would like to see a greater emphasis on local consultation and neighbourhood plans.”
£250m funding to alleviate Operation Stack
Hilary Newport, director of CPRE Kent, says:
“We welcome the national commitment to address the huge problems caused by operation Stack but we do not want to see one huge lorry park built on green fields. We are looking for a solution which will not only cope with lorries when there are delays at the port or tunnel but will also tackle the recurrent chronic problem of overnight parking by lorries on unsuitable Kent roads. We also want to ensure the commercial operations of the existing lorry parks such as Stop 24 are not prejudiced by a huge area of countryside being tarmacked over.”
Designated landscapes:
Emma Marrington, CPRE’s senior rural policy campaigner, says:
“It is great news that the Government has committed to a secure funding programme for National Parks and AONBs, following the recent announcement that the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks will be extended.
“England’s designated landscapes are hugely valuable to the nation and offer great bang for the buck. They are visited by 260 million people annually, who spend in excess of £6 billion and support thousands of jobs and businesses – all for less than £1 a person in public spending each year. We hope that this news will mean a more secure future for our most beautiful landscapes.”
November 30th 2015
- A number of important documents have yet to emerge. For example, a rigorous transport plan and a finalised air-quality assessment. The latter is critical given that allocations at Teynham will feed extra traffic into AQMAs.
- There seems to be no coherent plan for infrastructure delivery – a key component of the plan given the allocations being proposed near the already crowded Junction 7.
- There seems to have been little or no cooperation with neighbouring boroughs or even parish councils within Swale itself.
The removal of a second consultation might have been understandable if this final version of the plan were similar to that being talked about at the beginning of the consultation process. It is, however, radically different in the following ways:
- There has been a major shift in the balance of housing allocations, away from the west of the borough over to the east, especially around the historic town of Faversham. This is a move that raises many concerns.
- A new large allocation, with accompanying A2 bypass, has appeared around Teynham and Lynsted, to which we are objecting.
- Housing allocations in the AONB around Neames Forstal that were judged “unsuitable” by the council’s own officers have now appeared as part of the housing numbers.
- Most of the housing allocations being proposed are on greenfield sites, many of them on Grade 1 agricultural land – a point to which we are strongly objecting.
Concerns about the rush to submit the plan
The haste with which the plan is being prepared is especially worrying given the concentration of housing in Faversham. If the town is to take a large amount of new housing, it is imperative that the policies concerning the area are carefully worked out to preserve, as far as possible, the unique nature of the town. The rush to submit the plan is likely to prove detrimental.
As Swale does not have a five-year land housing supply, it is open to speculative development proposals, many of which would run counter to the ideas contained in the current plan. Some are already appearing. This is a common situation, and one that, doubtless, is a reason behind Swale’s haste.
Our overriding fear, however, is that this emphasis on haste is ultimately going to prove counterproductive. This is because it is our view that the plan, in its current form, is unlikely to pass independent examination. We are urging Swale to listen to and act upon the comments being made about the plan and to return the plan to the council with appropriate modifications before submitting it to the Secretary of State.
Essentially, this means treating the current consultation not as the final one but as the ‘lost’ second consultation.
The consultation ends on Friday 30 April and we strongly urge residents to make their opinions known if they have not already done so.
Further information
