As you all know, I have consistently argued that Green Belt land must be protected and if a planning application is put in for the Green Belt without community support, the answer should be no.
At the end of last year the Government made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which will make it easier to protect Green Belt land and last week I met with Housing Minister Lee Rowley to discuss how these changes can be used locally when agreeing out Local Plan.
Despite both the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party having policies supporting compulsory targets for local areas, it is vital, we are not completely blind to the local geographical circumstances communities finds ourselves in. We must build houses people need, but in the right places and with the right infrastructure to make them sustainable.
