Lib Dems call for curbs on new flats

12.55.45pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 10th Jul 2008

Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, Cllr Stuart Bray

A leading Hinckley Liberal Democrat is calling for action to stop the town being covered with flats.

Liberal Democrat Deputy Leader and Regeneration Spokesman Cllr Stuart Bray, has tabled a motion to the next council meeting (August 5th) calling for limits on the number of new flats.

Cllr Bray said "We are continually seeing more flats going up around the borough. It is particularly bad in the area I represent, Hinckley Castle, which covers much of the town centre. Many of our historic buildings in the town centre are being demolished to make way for new blocks of flats.

"What is frustrating is that many local people and local councillors don't want all these new flats but they still go up. This is because the Council's Planning Committee is often powerless to stop them, because of government planning laws.

"The new flats also add to parking problems in some town centre residential streets.

"I have put forward this motion to try to limit the building of new flats. If the council passes my motion it will write to the government demanding that local communities have more powers to stop these developments."

Full text of motion is

This Council notes the increasing concern about the number of flats being built around the Borough, in particularly in Hinckley town centre. Too many of our attractive and historic buildings are being demolished to make way for flats. Often the Council's Planning Committee are powerless to stop these applications, causing great frustration and anger to members and the public alike. These developments are also adding to the increasing parking problems in residential streets within the town centre.

This Council therefore requests that the Director of Community and Planning Services continues to make the strongest representations to the Secretary of State to give Council's more powers to stop excessive and unnecessary planning applications for flats, and explores through our own Local Development Framework tightening up of our local policies to give Planning Committee further grounds to refuse applications when they are deemed unnecessary.