Janet Finch-Saunders AM has welcomed the decision of the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs to temporarily disapply controversial guidance to local authority planning department on housing land figures.
The announcement came following a consultation on the matter – a result of a long campaign by Janet Finch-Saunders AM, and many of her constituents, as a result of controversial local planning applications – including that at Marl Lane, Deganwy (currently awaiting appeal).
Janet said:
“The responses to the consultation make quite clear that my long-held calls for the removal of the obligation to attach ‘considerable’ weight to the lack of a five-year housing and supply in relation to planning applications have the backing of many across the country.
“80% of respondents were in favour of this, including 87% of the private individuals responding to the consultation, 96% of the local authority councillors and 70% of planning authorities.
“Having raised my concerns on this matter directly to the Cabinet Secretary in the National Assembly for Wales since the guidance was introduced in 2015, I am pleased that the Welsh Labour Government are finally starting to listen.
“What we need now, going forward, is a more permanent change and a much more sustainable method for calculating housing land supply and preventing land banking – to protect out greenfield sites, and ensure that brownfield developments are prioritised and taken forward to provide for our housing needs.”
ENDS
Notes
The consultation and responses are available here: https://beta.gov.wales/sites/default/files/consultations/2018-07/summary-of-responses-consultation-tan-1-dis-application-of-para-62.pdf
More of Janet’s work on this available here:
https://www.janetfinchsaunders.org.uk/news/am-delight-labours-u-turn-tan-1
https://www.janetfinchsaunders.org.uk/news/janet-finch-saunders-am-response-tan-1-consultation
https://www.janetfinchsaunders.org.uk/campaigns/tan-1-campaign-against-controversial-housing-figures
https://www.janetfinchsaunders.org.uk/news/am-calls-tan1-debate-over-controversial-housing-figures