THE issue of the demand for new housing needs to be tackled head on, the leader of the Labour opposition group at Lichfield District Council has said.
Cllr Sue Woodward’s comments come after criticism of the government’s plans to set increased housing targets across the country.
The move could see the number of new properties in Lichfield District built each year rise by 160% from the current figures.
Cllr Doug Pullen, Conservative leader of the local authority, said the figures were “simply unsustainable”. He added:
“Last year we withdrew our Local Plan to stop further urban sprawl and to focus on new settlements – but this new direction from the government has pulled the rug from underneath our feet.
“We know that creating communities in our district is important. Young families should be able to get on the housing ladder near to the communities they grew up in, but such a drastic increase will create real challenges for Lichfield District and feels simply unsustainable.
“We will fight this diktat directly with government – hopefully with the support of our two MPs – and do everything we can to ensure we build out brownfield first, followed by new settlements with the appropriate infrastructure.
But Cllr Woodward said action was needed in order to deal with the challenges linked to new homes.
“Housing needs won’t go away and we need to tackle the issue head-on.
“The previous Government ducked the need for more housing across the country for 14 years, but locally the suggestions of a new settlement should more than accommodate the increased allocation.
“You cannot build a sustainable community – which is what Cllr Pullen says he wants to see – with just a couple of hundred houses.
“His comments are contradictory and just sound like a knee-jerk anti-government reaction. This is not the way we have been working at the district council for the past year where we have collectively been focusing on the needs of our residents rather than playing political games.
“Nothing is more important to people than decent, affordable housing as it affects every other aspect of people’s lives.”
Labour’s Cllr Colin Ball, the shadow cabinet member for housing and the Local Plan at Lichfield District Council, said:
“I find it very disappointing that Cllr Pullen is trying to turn a really important issue like decent and affordable housing for all into a political point scoring exercise, especially as this policy is out for consultation just now and not yet in place.”
