We need to build houses for young people but doing so sustainably means thinking about how it impacts those living nearby and protecting against the loss of our countryside or Green Belt.
We cannot allow our villages and towns to merge or lose what makes them special - continuing sprawl undermines communities. A new Garden Village would have my support as a more appropriate way forward, and in keeping with the tradition in this constituency.
I will guard our Green Belt and our best farmland, and where there is development approved by the local councils push for it to be beautiful, well-designed and with the necessary infrastructure.
This is my six-point plan to ensure we build not just housing, but communities, without undermining what we already have:
- Developers who profit from building MUST contribute. We need to do more to make sure construction companies fund and build the amenities we need - like dentist and GP surgeries - and other facilities that improve residents’ quality of life.
- Local Councils when imposing conditions on developers need to make sure they are watertight with specific deadlines so they can be better enforced and the planning department in both North and East Herts Council need to keep track of those commitments and drive the developers. Too often promises of local facilities, or even simple footpaths, fail to materialise and our town and parish councils sound the alarm. Councils should adopt a proactive rather than reactive approach, which will ensure developers learn they will not get away with it.
- Basic infrastructure must always come BEFORE expansion.
- We need accountability. Developers who break their promises should be fined heavily and banned for fixed periods from future projects in North East Hertfordshire.
- We need to build communities, not just lump development on to the edges of our towns and villages and undermining what is already there. New homes should always come with open green spaces, amenities and services in mind. I would prefer to see a Garden Village approach.
- We need high-quality housing with an emphasis on building beautiful, what is built needs to be attractive, in keeping with the area, and built to last. Our planning officers in the two councils should be given very clear direction from the elected councillors - unfortunately in North and East Herts the Labour and Green administrations are often too willing to take at face value the recommendations from officers, without bringing to bear their local knowledge, and they fail to sufficiently interject in the process.
THE BIT WHERE HAVING ME AS YOUR CANDIDATE MAKES A FURTHER DIFFERENCE
Fining developers or banning them for fixed periods from future projects in North East Hertfordshire is likely to require legislation - it's what I'm good at. I'll bring forward a Private Members Bill as well as push amendments on all possible legislation where it is 'in scope', working with peers till we get a change to the law over the line.