Steve Brine reacts angrily to a decision by the Government Inspector to grant permission for 90 houses on greenfield site.
Controversial plans to build 90 homes in a Winchester suburb were yesterday (21 January 2010) given the go-ahead.
Government Planning inspector Terry Phillimore approved proposals for a four-and-a-half hectare site behind Francis Gardens, Abbotts Barton.
Conservative-led Winchester City council had threw out Redrow Homes' scheme in April 2009 due to Government housing targets already being met but the developer – Redrow Homes - appealed after those targets were increased by Ministers and the decision was taken away from local hands. With the appeal process underway, the city council was forced to drop its opposition because of a shortfall in the district's five-year supply of housing land under revised central housing targets.
Prospective Winchester MP Steve Brine said; "Residents will be very disappointed at the granting of dual-access to the development and I think all will be desperate to work with Redrow and Hampshire County Council to lessen the impact on existing householders as much as possible.
“The wider point is that once again local opinion has been ignored by an unelected inspector sitting in Bristol forcing through this Government's unfair central housing targets. I will take great pleasure in voting for their abolition if I am elected as Winchester's MP this Spring as part of a new Government that is genuinely committed to returning power to local communities.
“I would like to think all political parties in Winchester will rise to the occasion and recognise the impossible situation we are in as long as the law of the land remains unchanged. They have a choice to play politics for short-term partisan gain or join with me in calling for these decisions to be taken locally with local need, available services and infrastructure in mind. Suffice to say I am not holding my breath!”
More information ...
You can download the Inspector’s decision in full by clicking the ‘Download’ link below; this file opens as a PDF.