Archive: News as at Jan 15th 2011
NEWS AS AT JAN 15th 2011
NOTE: THE EARLIEST THAT A BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING MEETING COULD BE HELD IS EARLY FEBRUARY BUT MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE END FEBRUARY OR MARCH
Letter to the Loughborough Echo
NO NEED FOR MORE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN BOROUGH VILLAGES
Recent controversial grants of planning permission for further housing in Sileby and Hathern, and applications for more housing in Barrow upon Soar and Rothley have focussed our attention on the actual need for more significant housing development in the villages of the borough.
Although this is contrary to the coalition Government's proposals for planning reform Charnwood Borough Council (CBC) still maintains that, under current legislation, it is required to provide a five year supply of land with planning permission for housing. At this time, CBC's most recent analysis (November 2010) shows a 4.96 year supply (equivalant to a shortage of only 20 dwellings) already in place for development in the villages ( called primary non-urban areas), in contrast the primary urban areas show that there is only a supply of 1.3 years available. In the borough of Charnwood these primary urban areas are all close to Leicester i.e. Thurmaston, Birstall and part of Glenfield.
It would be completely unacceptable, therefore, to agree further housing development on greenfield sites in Charnwood's villages to compensate for this shortfall in the urban areas.
Pursuing a policy of urban development is sensible and should be maintained. At last, it is agreed that housing development should be environmentally sustainable to minimise carbon production due to travel. Building houses in urban areas, close to workplaces and well served by alternative modes of travel to single occupancy car use must be the way forward. It is all the more lamentable, therefore, that Charnwood Borough Council is woefully short of its land supply target for urban areas and suggests that this council does not take seriously its responsibility for sustainable development.
There are further issues
> 2011 will see a full population census which will inform the economic and social development needed for the borough
> This year will see the introduction of the Localism Act which will pass powers of local determination to local communities instead of the requirement to work to housing targets handed down regionally.
>The Loughborough Echo frequently advertises 60 pages of houses for sale locally, with some for rent
>The availability of finance for mortgages has decreased to one tenth the amount before the recession
> There are a number of incomplete housing developments already in the borough. For example, in Barrow upon Soar, and elsewhere in the area there are new houses for sale that have never been occupied and vacant plots not developed
>With the unfortunate closure of AstraZeneca in Loughborough, with the loss of 1300 jobs, we may assume that a number of local properties will come onto the market as people seeking other employment move away from this area and sell their properties here.
All of this illustrates that there is no case of need for more large scale housing development in the villages of this borough and for the borough council to agree more would be wholly irresponsible and not in the best interests of the people they are democratically elected to serve.
Yours faithfully,
Sandra Forrest
Chair: Barrow Resident's Action Group
5, Avon Road,
Barrow upon Soar,
Leics.
LE12 8LE
