Council urged to sort out new housing plan
THE housing secretary has ordered Northumberland County Council to get on with producing a housing plan for the region after a previous version was torn up.
Sajid Javid has put pressure on the authority to produce a new plan for development after the Conservative leadership scrapped the former Labour administration’s “core strategy” in July 2017.
Under new Government rules, councils are required to “set out a clear framework to build new homes, provide key infrastructure, support the local economy and protect the environment”.
The Government previously threatened to intervene in Northumberland if the council couldn’t explain why they hadn’t produced a long-term planning strategy yet. Mr Javid has now confirmed his department won’t be taking this step but they have told the council to accelerate their plans and make the timetable for its completion clearer.
Council leader Peter Jackson said: “The people of Northumberland made it clear they had little confidence in the previous approach and I’m pleased that Sajid Javid has recognised our commitment to producing a sound and deliverable local plan and the progress we have already made.
“We have measures in place to ensure that plan production is prioritised and well resourced, and note the Secretary of State’s comments about streamlining the evidence base and accelerating the Plan preparation programme by up to three months. We welcome the offer of further support from the Planning Advisory Service to ensure we meet these revised timescales.”
Wansbeck MP and Labour party chair Ian Lavery said: “Sajid Javid has expressed again for the second time concerns. He is saying it should be sped up by three months. We think it should be sped up by a lot more than that, we want the core plan reinstated as quickly as practically possible.”