This Government’s planning reforms are welcome news for everyone in West Sussex. Even if the green spaces near you are not being built upon, the pressure from more and more people is felt on local school places, GP surgeries and NHS dentistry. And of course, it has a huge impact on nature and things like the levels of pollution in our rivers.
It’s not just about planning of course. In the past, ‘open border’ policies saw millions settle in the already crowded south-east.
So, I am very pleased that planning reforms in the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill have reached the final stages of debate in Parliament this week. After that, it becomes an ‘Act’ and the law of the land.
Together with the national planning policy framework, the Bill puts ‘brownfield-first’ development at the heart of the agenda – something both I and the CPRE have called for since first being elected as your MP. It will also help to deliver house building in areas which genuinely need it, and can accommodate it, such as London and Brighton.
Millions of properties could be built on brownfield sites across the UK well before anyone needs to build anywhere else. This is especially relevant now. Having successfully worked in 2020 with local residents to fight off plans for an entire new town at Mayfield (near Henfield), everything seems back in play after Sir Keir Starmer said last week he would “bulldoze through opposition” and build new towns. Similarly, the new Horsham District administration have refused to rule out re-opening plans for thousands of houses on green field sites at West Grinstead and Adversane.
Last week, I was also delighted to welcome pupils from Arundel Church of England Primary School to Parliament last week. Despite their young age they showed a keen interest in the workings of Parliamentary democracy that would shame many adults. A sizeable proportion put up their hands when asked if they would like to be MP’s themselves.
