Since I last wrote in the Telegraph I have been re-elected as the Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire and I want to say a huge thank you to the voters for placing their trust in me for another five years.
One of the most discussed issues in South Derbyshire, and indeed across the country, is currently planning, and more specifically the building of large new developments. It was one of the concerns I heard most on the doorstep during the General Election campaign. I understand and sympathize with my constituents’ anger at these new developments, which have, on occasion, been outside of the areas zoned for housing by the District Council.
These applications are even more frustrating because I believe South Derbyshire District Council (SDDC) have conducted themselves in an appropriate manner by consulting with residents across the constituency for two years to agree a plan for the building of 12,341 new homes by 2026. Unfortunately this plan cannot be implemented until all relevant parties agree so developers are taking the opportunity to put in speculative planning applications outside of the designated areas which I think should be refused.
The emerging Local Plan for South Derbyshire is progressing now after a Public Inquiry at the end of last year. Once the Local Plan is agreed by all parties the District Council will have the authority to throw out planning which does not adhere to the parameters which it sets out. However we are still awaiting Amber Valley Borough Council and Derby City Council to agree, as the plan has to be mutually beneficial to the surrounding Housing Market Area and these other Councils are dragging their feet and holding up the progress we need to obtain this fair agreement.
Until this decision is reached we could use a recent planning decision in Devizes, Wiltshire as a precedent for rejecting applications, which the Minister of State for Housing and Planning, Brandon Lewis MP, informed me of when we met to discuss planning concerns of South Derbyshire residents. The application had been rejected because the weight of the emerging Neighbourhood Development Plan was so strong it was decided there was no illegality in throwing out the application. This decision in Wiltshire could be a short-term tool for us in South Derbyshire to use in order to reject developments and planning applications which do not fit with the Plan. Therefore I have informed both the Councillors and the Planning Department at SDDC, as it could be an effective way to hold off any unwanted new developments from being given the go ahead.
I have of course, over recent months, been in constant contact with the surrounding Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire MPs regarding our emerging Local Plan, and I have been and will continue to be in contact with Minister of State Brandon Lewis MP. From these discussions I have secured an offer for SDDC Councillors and officials to meet with the Chief Planning Inspector at the Department of Local Government in Westminster. This engagement will give Councillors the opportunity to voice the concerns of residents as well as provide a potential opportunity to advance discussions regarding the emerging local plan and when we can expect a final decision and signature from the Minister. I am anxious for this to happen as soon as possible so that locally we can oppose unnecessary and unwanted planning applications.
As always my constituents concerns are my concerns and I will continue to lobby in parliament on their behalf.
(This article was originally written for the Derby Telegraph).