Challenging top-down housing targets
There was an excellent turnout for a public meeting to discuss what the Government’s latest planning reforms mean for housing in the Taunton and Wellington area.
Entitled ‘Why So Many Houses?’, it was hosted by Taunton and Wellington Liberal Democrats at CICCIC in Paul Street, Taunton.
A wide range of topics were covered during the evening including:
- The 75,000 new homes target the government is imposing on Somerset
- Planning rules
- Challenges in rural location delivery
- Social housing and the need for more council homes
- Developer proposals for 7,000 homes near Orchard Portman.
A panel of four experts includes Taunton and Wellington’s MP, Gideon Amos, who is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on housing and communities.
He said afterwards: “Community-led housing proposals which enhance our environment - like the affordable homes built in villages like North Curry and Stoke St Gregory and the new council houses being built by my Lib Dem councillor colleagues - are the right way to meet the real need local people have for homes they can afford.
"I'm also working to get empty buildings and pieces of land in our town centre developed for new homes.
"Having led a campaign against the worst alternatives, including the way the last government allowed the sale of 1,100 acres of land at Orchard Portman to a house builder, it's now obvious there's a real danger government will now force the massive development on our area without any local control over the decision.
"Unfortunately, this government has chosen a developer-led system with top-down decisions overriding local wishes.
"They've got it completely wrong and I'll be asking the new Prime Minister to rethink their approach."
Gideon was joined on the panel by:
- Selina White, CEO of Magna Housing and Co-Chair of Homes for the South West
- Cllr Mike Rigby, Somerset Council’s Executive Member for Economic Development, Planning and Assets
- Stephen Lodge, CEO of Westward Housing.
The panel was chaired by Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts, Somerset Council’s Lead Member for Communities, Environment and Climate Change, and there was an introductory presentation by Phil Stone, Chair of Taunton and Wellington Lib Dems’ Campaign Team.
