Dear Editor

I am worried about the proposed sites for housing development in the Council’s Core Strategy. The reason for this spate of housing proposals in the Green Belt – Newton St Loe, South Stoke, Whitchurch village - is easy to spot. It’s a pretty environment where people would want to buy houses, it would not involve any clear up as there would be on a brownfield site and would not involve the Government or developers in any additional transport costs.

I am also rather worried about truths and half truths springing from Conservative mouths recently. During the consultation on the Regional Spatial Strategy where B&NES is required by Government to produce 23 thousand houses by 2026 the Conservative Parliamentary candidate for North East Somerset was heard to say that if there was a Conservative Government next time then the RSS process would be stopped. Well that is probably true but be aware that will make no difference to the proposed housing round the south of Bristol , Whitchurch and south of Bath .

The B&NES Conservative Council has brought out the draft Core Strategy with development targeted on those places in their area and developers have already put forward plans for development south of Bristol in Conservative led North Somerset . Essentially nothing will change with a Conservative Government.

The Lib Dems on the other hand, as Paddy Ashdown re-iterated at a recent Regional Conference, have promised 75% of new development will go on brown field sites and will cut vat on repair and renovation making it cheaper to bring empty homes back into use. We would scrap the Regional Development Agencies and give the power to Councils, together with local communities, to decide the best place for new development. What is even more relevant to the Bath area is that we would give public sector land (MOD land perhaps?) to community housing trusts so that they could build  REAL low cost housing. For goodness sake lets look a bit further than the noses on our faces and get some good uses out of our land and some proper transport proposals.

Regards

Gail Coleshill

Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, North East Somerset Liberal Democrats