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Echo article on the impact of development of local communities and how powerless people feel in the face of new proosals for development in their area
One of the most important local issues for me is planning and development. It has been a recurrent theme since I became the MP for Fareham in 2001. There are two strands in my conversation with constituents about this – the impact of development of local communities and how powerless people feel in the face of new proposals for development in their area. I think we need to tackle both of these issues if we to build sustainable communities.
Next Friday, my private member’s bill to require local authorities to produce plans to show how they will provide the infrastructure needed to support new development will be debated in Parliament. This reflects the concerns expressed by my constituents about the strain on local services created by new developments. I was talking to parents at a local school just before Christmas and they were asking me about the effect that new housing being built on Hunts Pond Road in Titchfield Common would have on roads and school places. Their concerns replicate those of people across our area. If we are to allay people’s fears about the impact of development, we need to make sure plans are in place to demonstrate just how their concerns are going to be met.
The second area of concern is this sense of powerlessness in the face of development. Planning is seen as something that is done to you rather than something that you are can be involved in. Part of the problem is the remote regional bodies that seem to determine the scale and location of development. If we sweep them aside and give their powers to local authorities rather than to Whitehall, I think we can start to re-engage local people in planning their area.
This will also give local people the chance to decide where development should be. Whilst the pace of development has slackened as a result of the recession, I know that garden grabbing has been and will be a big issue for local communities. The emphasis on redeveloping land that has already had buildings on it meant that, as well as industrial sites becoming housing developments builders, were buying houses with big gardens and knocking them down, replacing them with flats. There has been a lot of that in Fareham. By giving local people control over planning, they will be able to decide if they want to see more garden grabbing or whether they would prefer to see development elsewhere.
By tackling infrastructure issues upfront and giving local people more control over planning, I think we can meet some of the challenges around development. The sort of measures I have suggested along with ensuring that local people can see the financial benefits from development will help change the climate around planning. Planning should be a collaboration where local people and local politicians so they are able to set out their vision for the future of their communities.