Gove slams borough council for delays in updating Local Plan
I am shocked that this authority doesn’t have a current plan in place and as a result, housing numbers are spiralling out of control. Michael Gove, pictured
HOUSING Secretary Michael Gove has stressed the importance of an up-to-date Local Plan in keeping speculative development at bay after Hinckley and Bosworth MP Dr Luke Evans raised concerns about “continued delays” by Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council.
However, the borough council has hit back, saying it is making progress which has been acknowledged by the government.
In a second reading for the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, Secretary of State for Levelling up, Housing and Communities Mr Gove criticised the Liberal Democrat-run borough council for its continued absence of an up-todate Local Plan, a key part of controlling planning and infrastructure.
Mr Gove said: “I am shocked that this Liberal Democrat authority doesn’t have a current plan in place and as a result, housing numbers are spiralling out of control.
“Developers’ friends – called the Liberal Democrats – are concreting over the countryside. This legislation will safeguard our green spaces and natural environment.”
Dr Evans said he took the opportunity in the House of Commons to highlight “concerns and frustrations raised by constituents” about the borough council leadership.
He said that every day that passes without a signed-off plan left the community “susceptible to speculative and piecemeal developments”.
The intervention came as Mr Gove was outlining changes to the planning system, including the issue of “land-banking” by developers who don’t build on land that has already been signed off for housing. Dr Evans told the Hinckley Times: “Planning is something constituents often contact me about, but I have no control over the new houses being forced on our area.
“Despite repeated offers of assistance from the Government and Homes England, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council most recently submitted a draft Local Plan which risks being deemed unsound – due to a lack in consideration of infrastructure provision – leaving our area open to speculative development for a prolonged period of time.
“We need the right houses, in the right place, with the right infrastructure and amenities, and the right safeguards and protections for our heritage and environment. This is what the Bill is seeking to bring about.
“After hearing about these continued delays the Housing Secretary shares my dismay with leadership at the borough council. I will continue to bring this to the attention of the Government and urge the Lib Dems at HBBC to work with them and protect our area from further strain on already-overburdened infrastructure.”
However, the borough council has hit back at the claims.
A spokesman said: “We were dismayed to hear the comments about the borough Local Plan from Dr Evans once again.
“He knows from recent correspondence with the council and advice from senior officers the council has been making progress on its Local Plan which has even been acknowledged by the government’s own senior officials. “He has kindly offered further support from the government, and we are awaiting confirmation of what form this support will take. It might be appropriate that this support is directed to the county council, which has twice raised concerns over its own capacity to respond to our draft Local Plan on key matters such as education and highways infrastructure.
“We are, however, having to review our housing numbers, with a need to allocate more sites. This is due to the government having recently updated its method for calculating housing need, which has further increased our annual target from 444 to 472 new homes per year.
“The council has no choice but to address this change in order to ensure the submitted plan is sound. This pause to look for additional sites also allows the borough to respond to our statutory duty to cooperate in regard to Leicester city’s inability to accommodate its own growth.
“All of this will ensure the Local Plan is better future proofed and less likely to go to immediate review once adopted. “It should be emphasised that work on the plan has continued to take place, but we must take account of these critical changes.”