Dr Luke Evans, the Member of Parliament for Bosworth, is warning constituents that failings at Liberal Democrat controlled Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council risk a planning free-for-all.
In a letter to Council Leader Cllr Stuart Bray, Dr Evans has pointed out that Government ministers have written to councils including Hinckley & Bosworth, who have been identified as falling behind with their Local Plan, to ask for an explanation for the delay.
The Government is offering support to councils identified as having fallen behind.
Borough Councils are expected to produce a Local Plan in which they should decide the most suitable sites for housing and commercial development in the area they cover. If an up to date Local Plan were in place in Hinckley and Bosworth, the Council would have much stronger grounds for refusing speculative applications on much loved green spaces.
The Minister of State for Housing, Rt Hon Chris Pincher MP, has written to Cllr Bray stating “my officials have noted that work on your Local Plan has been delayed and it appears that it is not now due to be submitted for examination until September 2021.”
The Minister’s letter goes on to state “I have asked the Local Government Planning Advisory Service to contact you to discuss what support they could provide, and to update my officials on progress in due course.”
Dr Evans said “The simple fact is that if you don’t have a workable Local Plan developers may apply to build anywhere and stand a much greater chance of their applications being approved at appeal, whether local residents want it or not. We know we need houses for our growing community, but they have to be in the right place with the right infrastructure, and not having an up to date plan hinders that.
“Cllr Bray and his Liberal Democrat administration have delivered a situation where, without intervention, a planning free-for-all is just around the corner.
“I very much hope that the council will swiftly move to capitalise on the support from the Government, and to take up the offer of help from officials, and I’m more than happy to support them in doing so. The sooner the plan is up to date, the sooner our neighbourhood plans and our communities have protections. The alternative is simply unthinkable for the residents of Hinckley and Bosworth.”