Liberal Democrat councillors appeal to MPs to help 'Save Dacorum's Green Belt'

The Liberal Democrat Group of Dacorum Borough Council has written to the MP for Hemel Hempstead and the MP for South West Hertfordshire seeking their support to have new planning targets for Dacorum reconsidered.

In December the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCGL) changed its formula for calculating local authority housing targets.

This was because, according to the MHCGL’s document, '…in some places the numbers proposed by the standard method pose a risk to protected areas and Green Belt'.

Under the new formula the housing target for Dacorum has risen from 922 houses a year to 1,023 houses a year.

Liberal Democrat Councillor Liz Uttley said: “We welcome the government dropping what is now called ‘the mutant algorithm’ for a more sensible calculation.

"What makes no sense is applying the new algorithm to old 2014 Office of National Statistics (ONS) data rather than the up-to-date ONS data of 2018.”

The 2018 ONS data projects Dacorum’s annual housing need to be 355, some way below the 1,023 target being set.

Cllr Uttley added: "What Dacorum needs is affordable and social housing supported by robust infrastructure to tackle the Borough’s high waiting list for housing.

"What this target risks delivering is developer-driven construction of ‘executive housing’ on the Green Belt.”

To meet the previous target of 922 houses, Dacorum’s draft Local Plan - which is currently open to consultation - will sanction the release for development of over 1,500 acres of Green Belt with the proportion of affordable houses set at a maximum of 40% (only on large developments).

MHCGL’s Consultation Response document acknowledges that more building can be done in existing urban areas, especially since Covid has increased home working and dramatically affected town-centre shopping patterns.

The numbers show that under the new proposals six of the 20 largest urban areas in England, including London, see no increase. In contrast Hertfordshire’s housing target increases by 19%.

Author of the letter, councillor William Allen said: “How can a strategy that is trying to increase development in England’s 20 largest urban areas actually lead to a no change or a reduction of housing target in 30% of these urban areas?

"And how can a plan that intends to reduce pressure on the Green Belt require the Borough of Dacorum to build more houses than Reading, Plymouth, Hull, Stoke and Wolverhampton, which are among the 20 largest urban areas in England?

"And all this pressure in a district which is not worthy of an inter-city train service, a fully-functioning hospital or a sizeable arts venue!”

The Dacorum Liberal Democrat Group are calling on their MPs to require the MHCLG to:

- Use the latest 2018 ONS projections to set targets

- Apply a more nuanced approach to setting housing targets

- Require Local Authorities to be more ambitious in providing affordable housing

- Devise a more balanced approach that will take pressure off the Green Belt.

The MP for Hemel Hempstead, Sir Mike Penning, said: “The need for more local housing is by far the biggest issue my office deals with on a daily basis.

"We all understand that we need more homes in Dacorum of all types whilst, at the same time, protecting our local green environment.

"I stood, as did the Lib Dems, at the General Election on a manifesto pledge to increase all types of homes in this area.

"But with the new homes, we also need to ensure the local infrastructure is upgraded to match.

"Our local infrastructure is coming under increasing pressure. Residents of Dacorum deserve decent affordable homes.”

The MP for South West Hertfordshire, Gagan Mohindra, said: "Local planning matters or decisions fall squarely under the jurisdiction of the local authority.

"Regardless of which party leads the local authority or the national government, local planning issues, in my view, must be handled by the local authority independently of government interference as long as current policies are being adhered too.

"As you may be aware, I was an elected councillor for over 15 years so know first-hand the challenge that our local councils are facing.

"I support both Dacorum Borough Council and Three Rivers District Council on their path to getting a Local Plan approved and adopted.

"I have said many times, without an adopted Local Plan, our communities are at risk of inappropriate developments and “bad” development.

"The Planning Policy has been around for many years and, although we may not like it or agree with it, will be the system that immediately affects us.

"I fully appreciate concerns about the Green Belt, of which I too am a passionate advocate.

"The Local Plan is not just about housing, it also encompasses future plans on all that make a community: infrastructure; health provision; education; employment and much more.

"As a local resident, I want to preserve the environment here in our community and I know that this is an incredibly emotive issue.

"I will continue to work with councillors who are focused on getting an Approved Local Plan in place as soon as practically possible."

Residents are being encouraged to have their say on Dacorum's Local Plan, the deadline for feedback in the consultation has been extended until 11.59pm on Sunday, February 28.

Read: Consultation deadline extended for Dacorum's Local PlanCllr Andrew Williams, leader of Dacorum Borough Council, said: “We all know there is a desperate need for new housing and this is acknowledged by all parties including the Lib Dems who have a manifesto commitment to deliver 300,000 new homes a year and this will inevitable require some difficult choices about where they should be built not only in Dacorum but across the country.

"This is why we are currently consulting on our new draft local plan to give our residents the opportunity to engage in the process and let us know how they feel about the level of development that could be required and this will help us as we continue to develop our plan and respond to the housing target the government is suggesting.

"Whilst we share some of the concerns raised in the letter to our MP’s it is typical of our Lib Dem Cllrs who support their parties policy to build 300,000 a year but at the same time seek to call for a formula that they know will mean that target will not be achieved and at the same time they voted to stop us consulting with our residents which we feel is a crucial part of the process as we continue to decide the correct number of homes the borough can accommodate."

A spokesperson for the Liberal Democrat Group of Dacorum Borough Council, added: "We opposed to the timing of the consultation, not to the actual consultation itself."