COUNCILLORS in Bromsgrove are set to meet to discuss the town’s increase in house building targets after Lib Dem councillors have called for an extraordinary meeting.
The town’s housing target could increase by 82 per cent following Labour’s proposed planning reforms prompting Bromsgrove District Council to call a meeting to work on a response to the policy’s consultation.
Labour’s proposals could mean over 700 new homes will be built annually in the town by Bromsgrove District Council (BDC), which poses risks to the town’s 89 per cent green belt land.
Lib Dem councillor and group leader Rob Hunter called for an extraordinary meeting which will take place at the council’s Parkside at 6pm on September 23. Members of the public are invited to attend or watch the meeting live online.
Coun Hunter said: “Bromsgrove desperately needs more homes that are genuinely affordable for local people to rent as well as buy, but too often the homes built locally are anything but.
“Giving developers free rein over our countryside is not the answer.
“Local communities should have more control and developers stronger incentives to regenerate brownfield sites. Bromsgrove deserves better and as a council we must make sure the voice of local residents is heard.”
Conservative councillor Karen May, leader of Bromsgrove District Council, told the Standard she is ‘deeply concerned’ by Labour’s proposals. She said: “Local people elect local councillors to make decisions about where they live.
“These new housing targets are being dictated to us by a London centric Labour Party, and it’s certainly not the approach I would have taken.
“As Councillors, our communities are always at the centre of everything we do. The voice of the community has been lost in Labour’s housebuilding plans for this country.”
The council leader clarified the government did not consult them on the proposals which ‘do not take into account local circumstances’.
Coun May added: “If we had the option to redevelop brownfield sites first we would, but there simply isn’t the availability in our district.
“I fully understand residents’ concerns that improved infrastructure doesn’t always accompany new housing developments, which is I’ve always been clear investment in infrastructure is as important as the houses built.
“Leadership is about dealing with the reality in front of you and where new houses are built, the Labour government must provide us with the money for the infrastructure we need to support more houses.”
