Concern over housing consultation

Anne Main has joined with Hertfordshire County Council to express concern over the rushed review of EERA's housing totals as part of the East of England Plan review to 2031.

Anne Main, Member of Parliament for St Albans, has joined with Hertfordshire County Council to express concern over the rushed review of EERA's housing totals as part of the East of England Plan review to 2031.

EERA has committed to an ambitious timetable for alterations to the plan, which it aims to submit to the Secretary of State by the end of next year.

Anne said:

"I share the view of Hertfordshire County Council that EERA's tight timetable will limit opportunities for consultation with the public. Developers have huge resources with which they can react quickly with wish-lists of where they would like to build housing but for local councils and local people without their considerable resources, the process inevitably takes longer.

This review aims to inform a decade of development in our area and we have seen recently how much things can change in just a few months. It is vital, therefore, to give enough time to put together a coherent strategy for our area, and a comprehensive rebuttal for any inappropriate proposals.

Whilst I still find it bizarre that the last development plan was published seven years after it was due to begin, and then made redundant within six months, if we must consult again on a plan for our area we should at least do it properly. Only in July, I drew the Secretary of State's attention to how many feel shut off by meaningless consultations, and yet we seem to be seeing more of the same. I have written to her today to ask her to reconsider the timetable.

If nothing else, we should remember that producing these plans costs a considerable amount of money, and it is the taxpayer who foots the bill.""