COUNCIL U-TURN OVER 6000 HOUSES ON GREEN FIELDS FACES CHALLENGE AT FULL COUNCIL MEETING

4.03.00pm GMT Mon 19th Nov 2007

On Wednesday the full council meeting of Gloucestershire County Council will debate a Liberal Democrat motion which challenges the council's recent u-turn over the commitment to build at least 6000 houses on green fields.

On 31st October four Gloucestershire Conservative council leaders submitted an application to Government to build two urban extensions, one North of Gloucester, one North West of Cheltenham. These developments will be known as "growth points" according to the Government scheme. The Government is offering a financial sweetner to encourage local councils to plan the developments and work with private companies to fast-track the developments.

Cllr Jeremy Hilton, Lib Dem leader said: "The councils application to fast-track these developments will compete with the regeneration of Gloucester city and urban developments to Cheltenham town centre. The Liberal Democrat conference held in Gloucestershire last weekend decided that fighting this attempt to create an urban sprawl around Gloucester and Cheltenham is important. The council meeting will give councillors an opportunity to debate the issues that are being kept hidden from the public. The massive transport and road building programme that will be part of these developments; the creation of an urban sprawl; and the covering of green fields around Cheltenham and Gloucester in concrete"

The motion to be debated by Gloucestershire County Council is:

This council notes:

That 4 Gloucestershire Conservative council leaders have signed an application to build at least 6000 houses on green fields to the North of Gloucester and North-west of Cheltenham.

The bid to establish the two urban extensions, one to Gloucester and one to Cheltenham, as Government "growth points" is a scheme designed by the Government to "accelerate" housing developments.

The council plan submitted on 31st October to turn the two urban extensions into "growth points" ignores expert planning advice that they will compete with and threaten the urban regeneration of Gloucester City and brownfield developments in Cheltenham town centre.

The commitment to accelerate developments in the urban extensions will lead to even more housing being proposed for the county in later stages of the Regional Spatial Strategy.

The infrastructure already identified by the council as necessary to support these developments includes the Cheltenham North-West distributor road

The Conservative commitment to building on green fields and their admission in the bid document that they have already begun talks with a developer consortium is a complete U-turn by the County Conservative Group on their previous opposition to building on these areas of the greenbelt.

This council resolves:

To condemn the decision of 4 Gloucestershire Conservative council leaders to submit the application to build at least 6000 houses on green fields.

To support the view from the Liberal Democrat conference held on Saturday 10th November, which agreed to oppose the creation of an urban sprawl that will benefit developers rather than local people.

To apologise to the local media and public for misleading them in a county council press release of November 5th on the purpose of bidding for "growth points" in Gloucestershire.