Rushcliffe MP, Ruth Edwards met with Levelling-Up Secretary Michael Gove in Parliament last week, to discuss changes to national planning laws.
This comes as the Government seeks to improve the planning system through reform of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).
Ruth responded to the consultation on the NPPF and met with the Secretary of State to make sure he was aware of the key issues she raised in her response, on behalf of residents.
In recent years, Rushcliffe has had to build nearly 5,000 extra new houses (on top of its own target) as neighbouring councils, like Nottingham City Council, used a planning regulation called the ‘Duty to Cooperate’ to push nearly 5,000 houses that they should have built in the city, onto greenfield land in Rushcliffe.
This has put a strain on local infrastructure, leading to increased demand on services, increased traffic and contributed to flooding.
Ruth discussed these issues with Michael Gove and emphasised her support for getting rid of the Duty to Cooperate.
She was also clear that brownfield sites should be prioritised over greenfield sites, that countryside that is not designated as Greenbelt land needed further protections to prevent inappropriate development and those areas like Rushcliffe, which have over-delivered on housing targets, should have this taken into account when new advisory targets are set, therefore lowering the number of new houses they would be expected to build.
Improving the planning system has been a priority of the Rushcliffe MP and she took the opportunity to reiterate Rushcliffe’s priorities to the Levelling Up Secretary, stating that above all, people need to have a greater say on what happens in their local area.
Ruth said:
“I am grateful to the Levelling Up Secretary for taking the time to meet with me and discuss Rushcliffe’s residents’ experience of the current planning system and ideas for how we can improve it.
“Whilst MPs do not have control over individual planning applications, I know how important this issue is to people in Rushcliffe and so I wanted to make our views heard at the highest level.
I look forward to working with the Secretary of State on his reforms and making the planning system work better for Rushcliffe.”
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