St Albans MP Daisy Cooper slams Green Belt decision

Felicity Buchan, the minister for housing and homelessness has accepted appeals made by Alban Developments Ltd, Cala Homes, Redington Capital and Headlands Way for developments at Chiswell Green Lane.

Daisy Cooper MP said: “I called on the Secretary of State to call-in these sites and halt the Planning Inquiry pending changes to the governments planning rules which we were promised would introduce new protections for Green Belt sites like these.

“It’s now abundantly clear from the Conservative government’s decision that there are no new protections for Green Belt in their so-called reforms.

Daisy Cooper MP has criticised the government's decision. (Image: Daisy Cooper, MP)

“Liberal Democrats have repeatedly called for reforms to the Conservatives top-down developer led system that does not tackle our housing crisis but does destroy the green belt.

“The Conservatives new planning rules were published three months ago and are riddled with contradictions and confusion.

“I’ve asked Ministers 23 times to clarify what their intentions and meaning behind new words and phrases are, but those questions have been dodged in debates, entirely avoided in responses to written questions, and my letter has so far gone unanswered. 

"I’ve even had to ask the Secretary of State to review whether his minister’s refusal to give a straight answer is in breach of the Ministerial Code.

“With this decision on Chiswell Green Lane from the Secretary of State today, I’m afraid we finally have our answer.

"Communities deserve better than a Conservative government that says one thing and does another.”

The Conservative Candidate for St Albans, James Spencer. (Image: Courtesy of James Spencer)

Conservative Parliamentary candidate for St Albans James Spencer commented: “I am absolutely astonished at the brass neck of the Lib Dems, blaming this decision on the national government.

"The Lib Dem leaders of St Albans are either ignorant of the planning process, or are attempting to gaslight the entire city into thinking St Albans City & District Council was unable to stop this. 

“Let’s be emphatically clear, the reason this development has been granted on appeal, is because the Lib Dems have failed to produce a ratified local planning policy (Local Plan), which could protect the Green Belt. 

“The Lib Dems have 48/56 councillors, so they could have got this sorted easily, but they have chosen not to act, and as such, are putting out Green Belt at risk. 

“Let’s not kid ourselves that this is about top down housing targets either.

"For all her outrage, Ms Cooper neglects to mention that her party is committed to building 380,000 houses nationwide with no feasible plan as to where these will go, or how much of the green belt will be sacrificed to accommodate them.”

The leader of St Albans City & District Council, Cllr Chris White, spoke of the impact that the decision could have on Chiswell Green.

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Cllr White added: "This decision by the Conservative government is a real blow to Chiswell Green. 

"Residents were united in their opposition to these developments, and as ward councillors we did everything in our power to fight the applications, and subsequent appeals.

The leader of St Albans City & District Council, Cllr Chris White. (Image: Chris White)

"I attended the planning inquiry in May last year, to make sure the community's voice was heard, and it's devastating that all of Michael Gove's promises on the Green Belt were nothing but empty rhetoric."