Dr Luke Evans, Member of Parliament for Hinckley and Bosworth, has met with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to discuss important planning issues affecting the borough.
Meeting with the Rt Hon Robert Jenrick, who is ultimately responsible for planning law, Dr Luke made the point that, in the current situation Hinckley and Bosworth has seen significant housing growth which hasn’t always brought with it necessary infrastructure and hasn’t always taken into account local plans adopted by residents of affected villages and neighbourhoods.
Dr Luke said “I talked with the Minister about the need for the Liberal Democrat council to adopt a local plan and identify a five year housing land supply and that in not doing so the borough runs the risk of losing out to speculative applications from developers.
“Where new housing is approved we have to make sure that there is provision for adequate roads, school places and access to doctors too.
“We also spoke about the importance of listening to local people who put the time and effort into writing neighbourhood plans, people who are not saying ‘no’ to housing but are considering where it is best suited.”
The two men also discussed the Department’s ‘Planning for the Future’ proposals which seeks to simplify and streamline the planning system, and which is currently open to consultation.
Dr Luke said “This is the biggest shake up in planning law in over 70 years and I would urge every local resident to take part in the ‘Planning for the Future’ consultation to have your say about how planning law develops. The consultation is open until the 29 October and it’s outcome will have a direct impact on what our towns and villages look like in the decades to come.”
All local residents can access the ‘Planning for the Future’ consultation at https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/planning-for-the-future