“I am passionate about ensuring we build enough sustainable homes, and enough social homes. However, this has to be done in a way that balances the protection of greenbelt land with new development.”
Daisy Cooper MP is continuing to take action against houses being unnecessarily built on green belt by leveraging the case of an overturned refusal of a housing proposal in Colney Heath.
In December of last year, she was successful in securing a Westminster Hall debate about Hertfordshire green belt, in which she referred to Roundhouse Farm, which had seen an application by a developer to build 100 houses between Colney Heath and Bullens Green
As this land straddles the districts of Welwyn & Hatfield and St Albans, the district councils were allowed to decide the appeal. They refused on the grounds that, among other factors, it would harm the green belt.
However, the planning inspector overturned this refusal, saying in his decision he gave very little weight to the green belt, as the provision to protect green belt “has not been incorporated within the [National Planning Policy] Framework which has subsequently been updated and similar guidance within the Planning Practice Guidance has been removed.”
Daisy referenced this to a letter written in February to Secretary of State Michael Gove requesting an urgent review of housing targets, and has since tabled two Parliamentary questions about Roundhouse Farm and protections for the green belt.
She said: “The overturned appeal that happened at Roundhouse Farm just goes to show that the Government’s National Policy Planning Framework now offers no protection for the green belt, and that its standard methodology creates ridiculous housing targets that local authorities feel pressured to meet.
“Even Oliver Dowden, the co-chair of the Conservative party and MP for Hertsmere, publicly supported the decision to scrap Hertsmere’s local plan on the basis that the housing targets from his own department are too high.”
“I am passionate about ensuring we build enough sustainable homes, and enough social homes. However, this has to be done in a way that balances the protection of greenbelt land with new development, and in which those who are democratically accountable to local communities can decide where these homes should go.”