Plans to change housebuilding targets to be advisory rather than mandatory will help prevent Lichfield being ruined by excessive development, Lichfield’s MP has said.
The confirmation of the change to policy came from the Government’s Levelling Up department which said decisions needed to “reflect local circumstances” in future.
A spokesperson said centrally-dictated targets on the construction of new homes would now be a “starting point – a guide that is not mandatory”.
MP Michael Fabricant said the pace of housebuilding across Lichfield demonstrated the risks of mass housebuilding.
“These new rules will mean that local councils will be allowed to build fewer homes than Whitehall believes are needed if they can show that hitting the targets would significantly change the character of an area.
“With major house building already underway to the south of Lichfield and more to come, I am relieved that more cannot be imposed by Whitehall mandarins.
“Lichfield is a beautiful city but runs the risk – like so many other towns and cities in the Midlands – of being ruined by excessive home building and consequent concreting over green fields.
“Excessive house building on green field sites will kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. I’m all for building on redundant industrial land – so-called brownfield sites – but ancient cities like Lichfield have very few such locations.”
Michael Fabricant
Mr Fabricant said that local authorities needed more power to best address the needs of their areas.
“It is right that central government should offer councils incentives to build new homes, but it must be up to local councils to decide where to build them and how many and to avoid being too greedy.
“This is a fine balance which local representatives, our councillors, are best placed to make a judgement.”
Michael Fabricant
