CPRE Sussex's Dr Roger Smith featured on BBC's Politics South East as Greg Clark MP, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, defended the government's new Housing Bill and its provisions for "planning in principle" which does away with significant checks and balances within local planning process.
Letter published by the West Sussex County Times 19 November 2015
Sir,
Horsham District Planning Framework- Why Horsham District Council should reject Planning Inspector’s conditions
The government’s new Housing Bill is “bully boy tactics which will not solve the housing crisis”, says CPRE Sussex.
This week the Housing and Planning Bill reached its second reading in Parliament, promising to “simplify and speed up” the planning process.
27 October 2015
Andy Boddington writes: Last week, the government published the Housing and Planning Bill.
This is a centralising bill taking decision-making from local councils to ensure the government’s ambitions of more housing and greater house ownership are met.
Letter published by the West Sussex County Times 15 October 2015
Sir,
Inspector approves Horsham District Planning Framework (HDPF) and confirms that his interim target of 800 houses per year is subject to review and further increase
Letter to the West Sussex County Times, 21 September 2015.
An article in the West Sussex County Times headlined: "Six affordable houses in 300-home scheme" shines a light on how housing policy in Horsham is failing to provide affordable housing in its greenfield schemes.
Some years ago Lewes District Council embarked on a Regeneration Strategy, to identify superfluous council-owned sites that might be put to good alternative uses, such as the provision of affordable housing, or sold to realise assets. That seems an entirely sensible project. The council decided to seek a commercial partner to help it realise maximum value; again an entirely sensible precaution if the council itself lacked the necessary expertise.
As the project progressed, some concerns began to be raised. The principal issue was that, on the grounds of commercial confidentiality, the council refused to share with its residents, or even with its town and parish councils, which of the sites it owned were being considered for inclusion in its list of superfluous assets. The news did leak out that there were 49 of them, and there were strong rumours, not denied by the council, that the list included sites that were in current use in such roles as community centres, car parks and playing fields. The council steadfastly refused to explain or justify its plans and claimed exemption from FOI requests.
Letter published by the West Sussex County Times 28 May 2015
Sir,
Accommodating the additional 2000 houses imposed by Planning Inspector: an open door for developers
