Democratic representation failing as developers rule
Having just spent the last three days at the secretary of state's inspector's inquiry into the appeal by Gladman to obtain planning permission for 78 houses along Muxton Lane (See Shropshire Star, 5-6 April).
I firmly believe that the system of democratic public representation is failing us. We will not know for a further six weeks whether or not we, as local residents, have been successful in preventing this disgraceful housing sprawl across our countryside.
If you happen to read the Shropshire Star regularly, as I do, you will see the constant stream of residents groups across Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin battling to prevent the loss of greenfield sites around their homes. Parish councils vote 9-0 against the developments, district and county councils also vote 9-0 against them but the developer simply ignores this message that local people don't want these greenfield developments. So the developer then proceeds to expensive public appeal, a cost our local authorities can ill afford. If they loose yet again they take it to the secretary of state who it seems without fail finds in their favour.
Why does this happen? Well three reasons:
1. The Government is under great political pressure to build over 200,000 houses a year and will not allow public opinion to stand in their way.
2. With the soaring price of houses and particularly housing land, developers can afford to hire expensive full time lawyers and push for appeal after appeal with the local authority crumbling beneath with failing staff time and revenue.
3. Under the new guidelines of the NPPF (National Planning Policy Framework) any local authority not having an agreed five year housing supply plan can be forced legally to allow house building virtually anywhere. It is an impossible battle for the Local Authorities and hence the public to win.
Meanwhile where are our MPs who supposed to be representing us, when their own government is destroying the countryside, replacing our green and pleasant land with houses which should be sited by planners who take all residents views on board and use brownfield land as priority and not sit back and allow developers to make billions out of the misery of others.
Brian Taylor, Muxton
