Stockport Liberal Democrats raise alarm over Labour's planning reforms

Liberal Democrats have raised concerns about the continuing changes to planning being drip-fed by the Labour government, with recent announcements around loosening the requirement to protect nature and biodiversity and a consultation on moving more planning decisions away from residents through their locally-elected representatives.

Added to the changes already announced last year and earlier this year, it means Lib Dems will have to bring forward a draft Local Plan for consultation wildly at odds with the version they published last summer. Government action means the new draft will have to include the release of significant tracts of Green Belt land, now termed “Grey Belt” by the government, to meet the much higher, compulsory housing and employment land targets that all councils face.

Cllr Jake Austin, Cabinet Member with responsibility for delivering the Local Plan, said: "Not content with announcing plans to railroad over local democracy by drastically reducing the say our residents and communities will have over development, the government is now rolling back on its promises to protect our natural environment. Labour are creating a system which gives developers a free pass to build without consideration for our communities, green spaces, or natural environment.

“We are committed to making sure Stockport builds enough homes for everyone who wants to make this brilliant borough their home, and we will work tirelessly to make this happen, but Keir Starmer's drastic reforms are bulldozing through the protections that keep building sustainable. 

“Development is a careful balance between building the homes we desperately need without disrupting our communities or destroying our environment. This Labour government is making it impossible for any local authority to maintain that balance."

Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of the Council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said: “We have always accepted the need to build more homes in our borough. But they have to be the right homes in the right places. To date we have focussed on breathing life back into our Town Centre and the surrounding areas, but there was always going to be a need for careful development in other parts of the borough to meet demand.

“The Liberal Democrats drew up and published a plan last summer that delivered what Stockport needed in a sustainable way, but the new Labour government have completely changed the rules. They haven’t just thrown the baby out with the bathwater, they’ve lobbed the bath out the window with it! They’ve given the green light to developers to concrete over our Green Belt and change our communities forever. Councils like Stockport and others across GM will be given no options to avoid this. Local people and councillors will essentially have no say over whether the government allows large scale development by the back door.

“People should be angry with the Labour government and their Green Belt Land Grab. We certainly are.”

Stockport Liberal Democrats join a growing group of organisations warning the government against its proposals, with the RSPB describing the reforms as a step that will "put wildlife seriously at risk".