Hazel Grove constituency MP, William Wragg, yesterday called for significant rethink of regional and national planning policy in order to meet housing shortages whilst offering more protection for the greenbelt.
Speaking in a House of Commons debate on Planning Policy and the Greenbelt on Tuesday afternoon (6th February 2018) Mr Wragg called on Government to may three significant changes in order to provide new homes in order to meet the housing shortage, and insisted that this should be done in a way which is sensitive to both the local environment and the wishes of local people.
Wragg called for “a vigorous ‘brownfield first’ policy” insisting brownfield land which has had development on it previously, should be prioritised for the building of houses, and not greenbelt. This would encourage regeneration of towns and make best use of land and be where the necessary infrastructure such as transport and local services already exist.
He said Government must look at ways to optimise the density and quality of new housing developments, without eroding into greenbelt land, which will also enable people to live nearer to workplaces without extended traveling commutes.
Mr Wragg also called for a shake-up of the Government’s approach to calculating local housing need, which he argued should be considered at a county level rather than a borough level. In our local case that would be at Greater Manchester level rather than Stockport Council level.
Wragg told the Government it makes more sense to look at overall demands within a broader county level, rather than boroughs, especially in light of devolution to city-regions, combined authorities and Metropolitan Mayors, which look at other infrastructure and services, such as healthcare and policing at that level. Furthermore, as members of the public often live, travel and work across several council areas. Therefore the existing method of using council boundaries as the basis of planning policy means that decision making is divorced from how people actually live their daily lives.
William Wragg, Member of Parliament for the Hazel Grove Constituency said:
“The strength of local opinion is clear to see, the voices from not only my own, but neighbouring constituencies, and from colleagues across the House, are clear: the greenbelt should be safeguarded. Previously developed urban land and brownfield sites should instead be prioritised for housing.
“Greenbelt boundaries should only be changed when a local authority can demonstrate that it has fully examined all other reasonable options, including proper use of brownfield. Any changes to a green belt designation should only be made as part of the wider local plan review process to ensure opportunities for community consultation. I would add that neighbourhood plans with greater legal authority in planning law could be one such means of achieving this.”
Since being elected to Parliament in 2015 William Wragg has campaigned hard to protect local greenbelt particularly around the village of High Lane from massive housing developments proposed under the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) which also proposes to build on 8% of Greater Manchester’s Greenbelt. William has organised demonstrations, lead several debates in Parliament, and submitted a petition of over 4,000 signatures to the House of Commons. Following a public consultation last year the GMSF received over 27,000 responses with most respondents concerned about which has prompted a fundamental rethink of the plans. A new Draft Framework is due to be published this summer.