Stephen Mosley
Main Page: Stephen Mosley (Conservative - City of Chester)
Chloe Smith (Norwich North) (Con)
4. What steps he is taking to encourage development on brownfield land.
Stephen Mosley (City of Chester) (Con)
10. What steps he is taking to encourage development on brownfield land.
David Rutley (Macclesfield) (Con)
12. What steps he is taking to encourage development on brownfield land.
Nick Boles
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. She has done a lot of work recently on the interests of the next generation—the growing generation—of people in our country. Housing need is one of those key interests. It is one of the reasons why we brought forward planning reforms, and help to buy is helping people get on the housing ladder.
Stephen Mosley
Cheshire West and Chester strategic housing land availability assessment shows enough brownfield land to cater for west Cheshire’s housing need for the next 30 years, yet the council is proposing to build on green-belt land outside Chester. Will my hon. Friend reassure my constituents that the intention of the Government’s planning reforms is to encourage brownfield development ahead of green-belt development?
Nick Boles
Our policies are clear that brownfield development is supported unless the brownfield site in question has a very high environmental value. In order to bring forward proposals for development on green-belt land, councils have to satisfy a high policy test of exceptional circumstances and they also have to go through a process of intensive consultation through a local plan process before they can change green-belt boundaries.