I was disappointed to hear that the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has allowed the appeal cases of two very large housing developments at Yew Tree Hill (on the southern end of Droitwich Spa) and Long Marston (on the borders of Warwickshire) to go ahead. This decision overturns the District Council’s original decision to reject the applications and runs against the principle of localism that many of us believe in passionately.
I join Sir Peter Luff MP in condemning the opportunism of the developers who have exploited the fact that the South Worcestershire Plan has not yet been finalised – though it is in the final stages of adoption. Until the development plan is finalised then opportunistic development proposals will continue to be pushed forward by developers and I know all parties involved in getting the development plan approved are working hard to make sure this happens as soon as possible.
It annoys me that we are approving development on green belt and open land when there are still brownfield sites available for development (though at a higher cost than the green spaces!). As Sir Peter Luff correctly laments: “The sickening drumbeat of a legalistic process has again drowned out the voice of democracy.”