MP condemns Prescott’s plans to build on greenbelt
24th March 2006
Mike Penning has, this week, condemned John Prescott’s plans to build on Dacorum’s valued greenbelt.
A Government report called “Projections of Households in England and the Regions” published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 14th March predicts an increase of 561,000 household in the East of England between 2001 and 2021. This is just under 100,000 more houses than are already contained in the draft East of England Plan.
Under the draft plan, Dacorum is expected to build 6,300 new houses. John Prescott’s new announcement will be certain to add to this number and will make it even more difficult to achieve without encroaching on the greenbelt.
Mike Penning, MP for Hemel Hempstead, said:
“We must not be bullied into building on our treasured greenbelt. The people of Hemel Hempstead and surrounding areas must be able to trust the Government not to destroy the greenbelt.”
Mike Penning raised further concerns about the lack of money to build social housing to meet the homeless and social needs of our community.
“If we have to build so many new homes, it would make sense that these include new social housing – to help those that cannot afford the high house prices in Hemel Hempstead.”
Local Councillors would like to build new social housing but the Council hasn’t got the money. In the year 2006-07, over £13 million pounds that Dacorum Council receives in council house rents will be taken by the Government. If the Council could keep its council rents for 2006-07 alone, this could have built about 130 new homes – or if financed jointly with a housing association, about 220 new homes.”
He continued:
“It is unfair that Dacorum’s council house rents are taken away and cannot be used to pay for new houses for local people. Yet again our well-run local Council is being penalised to pay for problem Councils elsewhere.”
