At a recent session of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Select Committee, the House Secretary Michael Gove said that, future planning policy should "take pressure off some part of the south east" and "make sure communities have control over what happens in their areas."
This follows conversations Laura has had with the Secretary of State about planning policy and, in particular, the proposed North East Thatcham Development. During these meetings, Laura has raised concerns that local communities have about thousands of new houses springing up – what it means for the environment, what it means for infrastructure and what it means for the community itself.
You can watch the full session with the Secretary of State here.
Adding, Laura said,
"Whilst of course, we want people to be able to find local affordable homes, West Berkshire has unique pressures. This includes large swathes of AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) land which (rightly) cannot be developed upon, significant areas of flood plain which are not appropriate for development and the unique limitations that apply around the Atomic Weapons Establishment for obvious reasons.
"West Berkshire Council is therefore very limited in the land it can designate for development and I have argued in Parliament that we need more flexibility, and the focus needs to move away from the South East. Therefore it is very welcome to hear this reflected in the Government’s current thinking and I am glad that Ministers have listened to us."