Last week Richard visited some of the villages of Northill Parish to discuss the impact of housing development. Over the course of three hours, he visited three villages: Upper Caldecote, Ickwell and NorthilI, accompanied by local Councillor, Frank Firth.
Starting in Upper Caldecote with Parish Council Chair Cllr Robert Smith, Parish Councillor Graham Hopton and Resident Peter Cross, they discussed planning considerations at the local level, the importance of giving real power to the Neighbourhood Plans that Parish Councils put together and the negative impact of speculative planning applications. They also discussed pressures on water supply, drainage, public green spaces and public footpaths.
In Northill, they took the opportunity to visit other development sites and Richard learned more about the importance of providing housing for local residents that is affordable to local first time buyers and in Ickwell, they met with Deputy Chair of the Parish Council Councillor Helen Papworth and Parish Councillor Wyn Morgan to listen to their concerns about the pressures from development.
Richard said; "I had a very informative and in-depth visit where we discussed local developments, which could see villages across North East Bedfordshire grow by as much as 30% to 60% over the next few years: a concern I have heard from many other Parish Councils. I am continuing my efforts in Parliament to reduce the housing targets imposed on North East Bedfordshire by the “OxCam Arc Review” and to ensure that any future Planning Act ensures that the voice of local Parishes, through their Neighbourhood Plans, is heard loud and clear."
