Uttlesford Lib Dems Say Housing Plan Consultation Must Start Again

8.44.00am GMT Mon 11th Feb 2008

Uttlesford Conservatives' proposed new town in Elsenham and Henham.

At the meeting of Uttlesford District Council on Tuesday 19th February, Liberal Democrat councillors will be calling for the consultation on the Council's Local Development Framework Core Strategy to be extended to run through 2008. The LDF presently contains "Helsenham" new town as Uttlesford Council's preferred option for new housing in the district. Essex County Council and GO-East (the government office for the East of England) have both condemned Uttlesford Council for failing to produce any evidence to support its preference.

Cllr Peter Wilcock, who leads Uttlesford Council's opposition Liberal Democrat group, said "Following the scathing criticism of Uttlesford Council by GO-East and the County Council, who met with Uttlesford Council's officers last week, it is time for Uttlesford Council's Conservative leadership to admit what everybody knows - that any proposal arising from the current deeply flawed consultation is unlikely to withstand review in court or by planning inspectors. The Conservatives must bow to the inevitable and begin the consultation again. The re-run of the consultation will need to be based firmly on evidence and must include public meetings, exhibitions and workshops - not just a leaflet in the Christmas post.

"I welcome the invitation extended to parish councils by Sir Alan Haselhurst for a meeting to explore a bottom-up approach to allocating the housing within the District. If he can help Uttlesford's ruling Conservatives out of the hole they have dug for themselves, then that is all to the good."

"There is no government-imposed timetable. Uttlesford Council can - and must - take the time to do the job properly".

Cllr David Morson, Councillor for Elsenham and Henham added, "We need to have a solution that will deliver the number of houses that the Government has asked for, but in a way that addresses local needs - both in terms of location and also in terms of affordability for local people. The government's recently proposed Community Infrastructure Levy would allow smaller developments to fund their own infrastructure. This would removing the incentive in current planning rules to put all the houses in one single settlement."

Cllr Mike Hibbs, former Mayor of Saffron Walden concluded, "I believe that the Council should resolve to provide a sound evidential base for the Local Development Framework. This should include commissioning new surveys into housing need and economic prosperity, and further researching the impact of demographic change on education and the survival of small market towns and rural communities.