Sheffield MP 'pleased' as Planning Inspectorate calls on council to review non-green belt housing land options
“I will continue to oppose the plan in it's current form”
A local MP has said he is “pleased” a the Planning Inspectorate has said that Sheffield council needs to look at alternate sites after a review into the controversial greenbelt housing scheme.
Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts said he hoped the latest news from the Planning Inspectorate will “lead to a much fairer allocation of sites across the city” after his earlier critiques of the current housing plan.
In their letter, published on July 31, the Planning Inspectorate - a Government body which reviews large-scale local plans produced by councils - said that the council should asses six non-green belt sites developers had suggested for potential housing.
While the local plan has been supported by Sheffield City Council’s Labour contingent, the party’s MP Clive Betts has vocally opposed it, claiming that land allocations disproportionately affected his constituency.
Responding to the latest announcement, Mr Betts said: “I am pleased to see that the Planning Inspectorate has written to Sheffield Council to ask that a number of alternate sites are assessed as part of the ongoing draft local plan.
“Hopefully this will lead to a much fairer allocation of sites across the city and reduce the impact on areas such as S12 and S13 situated in my own Sheffield South East constituency, who face the loss of their green belt as part of the current plan
“It should be said, that this latest letter from the Planning Inspectorate is just a minor reprieve and it remains to be seen whether these new sites will bring about the much needed meaningful changes to the current draft local plan.
“I will continue to oppose the plan in it's current form and work with local campaign groups as well as local councillors from across the political parties to ensure that communities across Sheffield South East are treated fairly.”