What do these three things have in common?Well, we've just been watching a programme on Channel 4 about the regeneration of Castleford, where there are apparently streets of houses sitting empty amongst other symptoms of urban decay. This appears to have been largely brought about by the demise of the mining and other industries in the area.
It was a good example of why this kind of area deserves more than its fair share of Government funding.
However, it made me ask the question why the Government is forcing us to concrete over huge areas of the Green Belt around Bournemouth and Poole while there are clearly areas of housing standing empty in the north.
This Government's prioritisation of funding for the north has resulted in superior infrastructure for those areas receiving it. Greater funding for local authorities has also resulted in much lower rates of council tax for residents. This has, it would appear, lead to complacency over issues such as recylcing (see here).
Proper regeneration of deprived areas of the country should be lead by private investment. In the 1980's the government encouraged new businesses by offering tax breaks, incentives, pump prime funding and practical assistance to start up businesses prepared to relocate to those areas.
They also prioritized those areas requiring regeneration when they decided where to relocate those government departments and agencies being moved from Central London.
That kind of practical intervention and assistance would begin to bring true regeneration through opportunity to deprived areas, partculalry those in the North. Maybe then there wouldn't be the need for the Government to propose such enormous housing growth here in South East Dorset.
2 comments:
What is the process after the 12 week consultation period ?
I understand that ultimately it will be East District County Council that will decide the location of the proposed housing.
What is being done by the loacl powers to be ?
Once the 12 week consultation period is up the Secretary of State will publish her final decision within, I believe, a relatively short period of time.
Once that announcement has been made the only further recourse is to judicial review, which would not necessarily stop the development but might force the inspectorate and the Secretary of State to reconsider. The exact detail would depend upon the grounds for requesting the judicial review and the findings of the court in this circumstance.
If the Secretary of State decides that the development should go ahead then it's East Dorset District Council, as the local planning authority, to whom developers would make planning applications.
At that point any applications for development will go through the normal planning route. A planning application to the District Council which will be determined by them, with representations being allowed from local people either in favour or against.
It would be quite possible to oppose the applications at this point, however if the District Council turn them down then the devlopers can appeal. The Inspectorate then decide the application based upon the instructioins from the Secretary of State.
That makes it quite possible that the local council's decision may be over turned. If that happens the additional sting in the tail would be that the costs of the developers in making their appeal would be born by the District Council.
If the developments are approved by the Secretary of State then I believe that we will have to be assiduous in finding legitimate planning grounds to oppose any applications made for the area by the developers. I'll do everything I can to help local people with that.
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