Green Belt saved
This article is mainly for the aficionados of the local planning process - but it affects all of us. Have you ever felt worried or even just a bit concerned about the pressures to build large amounts of new housing in an area not far from you? If so, you are among the majority! Recently many of us have been waiting for news about the long-term housing target in the greater Nottingham area, about the survival (or otherwise) of the Green Belt, and about the prospects of building an Eco-Town at RAF Newton or elsewhere.
Well, the Government Review has just been released and, for once, there is good news and bad news. www.gos.gov.uk/goem/news/regionalplanning
The bad news is that the target for housing until 2026 has been increased, but by only 3.4 per cent.
The good news is that the Green Belt is saved!
Overall, this must be a great relief to many of us, as it is impossible to see how an Eco-Town at Newton can progress after housing minister Caroline Flint stated that NO part of an Eco-Town would be built on the Green Belt. This was recently confirmed in a meeting between Rushcliffe Borough Council and a senior civil servant from Ms. Flint's department, as was the policy that the numbers of homes in any Eco-Town (if ever it was to come about) would count towards the long-term target.
The preservation of the Green Belt now also casts doubt on the legitimacy of any proposed development at Sharphill or Clifton Pastures.
