Bradley Thomas and Cllr Karen May have expressed their dismay at the Government’s decision to further increase Bromsgrove’s mandatory housing target.
Back in July, the Government published a number of reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework which were put out to consultation. This included a new housing target for Bromsgrove District Council of 704 houses a year - an extra 318 houses.
However, following the publication of the revised National Planning Policy Framework on December 12th, the Government has further increased its top-down target for Bromsgrove.
The Government is now imposing a mandatory housing target of 713 homes per year – an 84.7% increase in the district’s housing target.
Bradley previously wrote to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Angela Rayner, to formally respond to the Government’s consultation on the changes to the National Planning Policy Framework.
His detailed response slammed the Government for failing to accurately measure local housing demand in Bromsgrove, creating an incorrect housing need figure for the District.
The Government’s affordability ratio shows the relationship between local house prices and jobs available in that locality. However, this does not accurately reflect the reality of Districts such as Bromsgrove, where many people commute into major cities where there are higher paying jobs, which puts upward pressure on Bromsgrove house prices and makes the local income figure artificially low, both of which incorrectly drive up our housing allocation.
Along with Bromsgrove District Council, Bradley is completely opposed to the Government increasing the flawed affordability multiplier. Their assessment shows that this will directly result in thousands more homes being built in high quality green belt in the District, when there is not a sufficient local need for this to happen. The effect of this change will in fact be to accelerate development in the very places that the green belt was established to protect.
Bradley said:
“89% of my constituency is green belt, and I was elected with a clear mandate to fight against inappropriate green belt development and to protect our rural way of life.
“I’ve been consistent in my view that I will only support development in the right locations, designed to the highest standards and on brownfield land first.
“I’m dismayed that the Government has further increased its top-down housing target for Bromsgrove. In doing so they have completely ignored the views and concerns of Bromsgrove District Council.
“While as a country we do need to build more houses, for the sake of public trust in the planning system, house building must carry the consent of local people who are custodians of their communities.
“My constituents deserve to get on to the property ladder, but the Government is imposing an 84.7% increase in Bromsgrove District Council’s mandatory housing target which doesn’t reflect the true housing need across Bromsgrove and the Villages.
"Sadly, the Government has also abandoned the requirement for new housing to be beautiful designed when they closed the Office for Place. It’s essential we incorporate good design in our planning system, ensuring new developments are reflective of their surroundings, and create safer, happier communities where people want to live, work and raise their families.
“Migration, both legal and illegal, continues to put pressure on housing and public services across the country. I see no urgency from this Government to reduce this pressure which further inflates housing demand across the country.
“It cannot be right that the Government is reducing housing targets for cities like London and Birmingham, where the need is most acute, and forcing constituencies like mine to build thousands of homes on green belt.
"Instead, I urge the Government to pursue intensive urban densification, so that beautiful new homes are built in the towns and cities where demand is most acute. I’m afraid their current approach is wrong, and I will continue to fight to protect our green belt.”
Cllr Karen May, Leader of Bromsgrove District Council, added:
“We tried to be constructive in our response to the Government’s planning changes, but be in no doubt, this Government has ridden roughshod over the views and concerns of Bromsgrove District Council.
“When you see housing being built on our green belt in the coming years, the blame for this lies squarely at the door of this current Government.
“And where new houses are built, central government must provide us with the infrastructure we need to support more houses.”
