The Petition of residents of Lightwood, in Stoke on Trent,
Declares that the Petitioners are deeply concerned by proposals for a residential development on land off Lightwood Road, which the Petitioners believe the infrastructure of the local area cannot support and would destroy a large area of green-belt land, despite more appropriate areas of land being available in the city.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Department for Communities and Local Government to intervene in this matter at an early stage to ensure a more suitable site is found for any development and any application submitted for a development on this particular piece of land is rejected.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Robert Flello, Official Report, 16 July 2014; Vol. 584, c. 975 .]
[P001372]
Observations from the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, received 15 September 2014:
The Secretary of State has a quasi-judicial role in the planning system, and cannot comment on the merits or otherwise of any planning proposal which might come within his jurisdiction at some future date.
The Government’s objectives for the planning system are set out in the National Planning Policy Framework. Relevant policies in the framework will be a material consideration whenever a local authority is working on its local plan or determining a planning application.
For instance, the framework maintains strong protections for the green belt. This Government continue to attach great importance to green belt as a way to prevent sprawl and encroachment on open countryside, and as a vital ‘green lung’ for many communities. The framework makes clear that openness and permanence are essential characteristics of green belt. It also states that inappropriate development should not be permitted there except in very special circumstances.
Green belts are designated by local authorities, not central Government. Alterations to a green belt boundary can be made, but only in exceptional circumstances, using the local plan process. This is for the local authority to propose, as part of the local plan process. By ending regional housing strategies and the ‘top-down’ pressure they exerted on local authorities to review the extent of their green belts, this Government strengthened green belt protection: local authorities are now fully responsible. If any conflict of policy or planning priorities arises, it is for the local authority to weigh all the material considerations and decide what is right for the land in question.
It is understood that while pre-application discussions have taken place with Stoke-on-Trent city council with regard to proposed residential development off Lightwood Road, no planning application has been submitted. It would be for the city council to consider any application that may yet be made in the first instance. However, in the event that the city council is minded to approve green belt development on the scale proposed, it would be required to refer the application to the Secretary of State under the Town and Country Planning (Consultation) Direction 2009. The purpose of the direction is to give the Secretary of State an opportunity consider whether to exercise his call-in powers under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 taking into account the written ministerial statement on call in. Views expressed by local residents and other relevant planning matters would be taken into account as part of this process.