Louie has welcomed that the Communities Secretary has set out new measures in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill which ensures the environment is protected and gives local people a greater say on where and where not to place new development.
Over several months, Louie met with Ministers to make representations to ensure our planning system delivers for the local needs of our community and supported backbench amendments to the Bill which achieved commitments to reform parts of the planning system. Following this, the Government announced new measures to strengthen the commitment to build the right homes in the right places with the right infrastructure.
This includes making housing targets a starting point rather than mandatory, with new flexibilities to reflect local circumstances. This will allow Councils to depart from the centrally determined target if there are delivery constraints, such as if meeting the target would significantly change the character of an area. Local councils will also be given power to promote brownfield development and new penalties have been proposed for slow developers failing to build already-approved homes.
You can have your say on the new consultation on the following link. This consultation will close at 11.45pm on 2 March 2023.
Levelling-up and Regeneration Bill: reforms to national planning policy - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Commenting, Louie said:
“Over 30% of Old Bexley and Sidcup is in the Green Belt and protecting this land and our green spaces is a priority of mine. This is why I have been campaigning to rebalance our planning system to give local residents a greater say over what is built in their community.”
“Following positive engagement with MPs and Ministers, I welcome the new measures the Government have set out to place local communities at the heart of planning which will strengthen councils’ and communities’ powers against bad development whilst ensuring we have the right homes in the right places.”
