More top down planning means green belt still under threat

The announcement that the Labour Government plans to continue with top-down planning targets means that future building in Oldham borough will continue to be developer-led and on green belt, and fail to address the borough’s needs, said local councillor Sam Al-Hamdani.

Experts have said that Labour’s plans mean building on additional green belt one-and-a-half times the size of Birmingham at best, and three-and-a-half times at worst.

Lib Dem councillor Sam Al-Hamdani said: “We are hearing the same tired ideas trotted out by the incoming Labour Government that we were hearing from the outgoing Conservative one.

“Housebuilding is not being held up by local authorities. It is being held up by a failure to invest. It’s the same mentality that led to the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), which will lead to unnecessary building on the green belt. That’s why we remain opposed to GMSF and are aiming to remove Oldham from it at tonight’s full Council.”

The announcements by the Government included nothing to address the critical shortage of construction workers, and no extra financial support for brownfield development.

Sam continued: “Experts agree that housebuilding targets have never been hit without significant investment by the Government. By targeting local authority targets instead of driving housebuilding, this new Labour Government is simply continuing to use a failed model.

“These are hard choices, but any planning which fails to prioritise the right kind of houses in the right places will leave places like Oldham facing exactly the same problems – a lack of infrastructure, green spaces under threat, and not enough social housing.”