‘Not well served in local planning’
SO Newcastle Borough Council are asking the public for help to find brownfield sites for building on.
Everyone would agree with trying that, but there are not enough in Newcastle.
The public rightly go for this, but do not realise there are nowhere near enough and some of what is seen can only be used if the council go through the legal costly process of compulsory purchase.
A few years ago the Conservative council broke away from the joint plan with Stoke-on-trent.
Stoke-on-trent has far more brownfield sites than Newcastle.
The council assumed it would be quicker, but I notice now that while the second consultation was due this autumn, it is now planned for “early 2024”, around 18 months delay. Delays usually mean further costs.
More importantly, delay to the plan enables developers to choose their own sites and national rules make it very difficult to refuse these.
The local Lib-dem/ Conservative coalition started a plan over 10 years ago; Labour first sat on it for two years and then abandoned it.
So we have not been well served by this council in the last 10 years.
NIGEL JONES NEWCASTLE