Conservative hypocrisy on housebuilding condemned

Local campaigner Councillor Michael has hit out at the Conservative government's plans to impose even more housebuilding in areas where Councils and communities object to to it.

George Osborne the Conservative Chancellor has announced plans that would make development easier and could see local Councils that fail to provide sufficient development forced to accept development against their will if they are failing to build enough houses, as he begins a major overhaul of the country's planning system.

Cllr Michael Mullaney said "During the election I stood on a platform of wanting to reform planning laws so that local communities would have more control over housing developments in their area.

"Too often in recent years developments which were opposed by local residents and Councillors such as proposed developments on Welbeck Avenue Burbage and the "Big Pit" in Hinckley.

"At the recent election both Conservative MP David Tredinnick and local Conservative Councillors stood on a platform of seeking to blame Lib Dem councillors for the amount of development that is going on. This was despite the fact that they knew that many of these developments were imposed on our area by Government Inspectors and that Conservative government law gave the Council no choice.

"What is staggering hypocrisy is that it is now this Conservative government which is seeking to make it even easier for developers to build in areas where people object.

"With a Conservative government at Westminster making it easier for developers and a Conservative Council locally, people will know where the responsibility lies wherever unnecessary and wrong housing developments are forced on our area in the future."

Ends

See the coverage of the policy in the Conservative supporting Daily Telegraph http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/georgeosborne/11730100/George-Osborne-to-force-councils-to-build-homes-in-overhaul-of-the-planning-system.html

and Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3155577/Now-s-George-Builder-Osborne-gives-ministers-power-force-plans-extra-500-000-homes.html