Development and planning

Building Blight - Rob Pocock has launched a new five part plan to stem the tide of building sweeping through Sutton Coldfield.

1. Tougher controls on the free market in private land development using new powers to limit the right to build.
2. Set an agreed limit on the total acceptable number of houses in Sutton Coldfield this would be a limit agreed under Regional Planning Guidance in line with the Government's new Housing Plan published last month.
3. Require developers to reach an acceptable agreement with a local residents' Planning Forum on the size and scale of individual sites.
4. Require developers to pay a 'Per property' contribution towards public services such as Doctors and Schools, which cannot otherwise cope with the increased housing.
5. Introduce a support scheme to help older people who want to move to smaller local properties, and not lose their capital. Larger properties would then be available to meet demand.

The Conservatives complain about the housing problem, but their own free market ideology means that they oppose tougher public planning controls on developers.