Gedling MP Tom Randall has urged local councils to adopt a ‘brownfield-first’ approach to house building in a bid to protect the greenbelt from developers.
Following the publication of the State of Brownfield Report, Gedling Member of Parliament, Tom Randall, met its author Paul Miner from the Council for the Protection of Rural England to discuss the report and the opportunities for more brownfield development.
Mr Randall MP said: “Our green spaces are precious and once they have been built on, they are gone forever. That is why I join with residents in wanting to ensure that our beautiful Green Belt and green spaces surrounding Gedling are protected from housing. It is also important that any new housing is built on brownfield sites and the design of new houses match the surroundings. This is exactly what the Government’s new laws, that I have voted in favour of, will deliver.”
“Brownfield land is land which has been previously developed that is not currently in use. Brownfield land for 1.2 million homes is currently lying dormant and more than half a million homes on brownfield with planning permission are waiting to be built.
“There are 23,000 brownfield sites identified by local Councils that await development. These sites must be prioritised over our precious Green Belt and green spaces.”
In December 2022, the Government announced that new laws will be introduced that remove housing targets for Councils, making them advisory.
Green Belt protections will also be strengthened as part of the Government’s ‘Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill’, with new guidance setting out that local Councils are not required to review Green Belt to deliver homes.
Speaking in Westminster after the meeting Tom Randall MP said: “A consultation is now taking place, following December’s announcement on changes to the National Planning Policy Framework. I look forward to working alongside colleagues in Parliament, through a new All-Party Parliamentary Group, to share the views of our residents with the Secretary of State and Ministers.”
Locally, Gedling Borough Council are responsible for decisions relating to house building and planning.
Back in December, Mr Randall joined with local councillors Sam Smith and Councillor Mike Adams to call for green belt land at Stoke Bardolph to be protected from future development. Gedling Borough Council eventually removed the land from the consultation.
The Government has now invited local councils to bid for a share of £60 million from the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2, which will help to bring neglected urban areas back into use, support regeneration projects and boost local economies.
Following this announcement, Tom Randall MP said: “This is another part of the Conservative Government’s plan to prioritise brownfield land for new housing, transforming underused sites into places where people want to live and work, while protecting our cherished green spaces. Should they be eligible for the funding, I encourage Gedling Borough Council to apply for it.”
How sad that I have to agree with Randall on this. GBC have a terrible record for gobbling up the green belt. They suposedly built a country park that many of us had already been using for years without busybodies interfering, then built a road through it. The housebuiling has continued in areas without schools, shops or GP surgeries.
He’s a bit slow. The use of brownfield sites is not a new call. I don’t remember a country park on the site of Gedling Pit before it was cleaned up – which was a GBC initiative as reported in the local press. It was full of mining waste – not exactly a paradise.
Tom Randall has got a cheek going on about Levelling up, considering how much his constituency has got (zero). What about standing up for Gedling in Westminster Tom? That’s your job. The whole Levelling up fiascos is a distraction from what was taken from local authorities in funding over the last 12 years, 60% in the case of GBC. Now councils have to scramble and pay for consultations and help to draw up proposals. The funding should be more evenly spread. All councils can identify what is desperately needed in their areas without turning it into a version of Strictly Come Dancing. Some things should not be part of a competition.
There was park, a wild park, and many people walked their dogs on it. We did, and took our children. We were able to walk along the old railway track from Gedling village, which is no longer possible due to the new road. There were lakes with ducks and swans which now have a road built next to them. The top of the hill was free to walk up, with skylarks rather than solar panels. And there was far less encroachment of housing. There was no waste to speak of, 20 years had past since the pit shut. . The tidying up was minimal compared to the virtue signalling of the busybodies involved. If you never went there until the council provided a car park and a cafe for you then you’re not is a position to comment.
Oh, and the constituency got zero, because the propsal to get cash involved demolishing and rebuilding the Bonningtion theatre and leisure centre. There is nothing wrong with the theatre and Arnold is lucky to have it. Maybe the council could look futher than their offices in Arnold, and consider areas that do need the cash, like Netherfield.
Btw, I do not vote Conservative and never have.