Sheffield MP criticised for voting in favour of "draconian" new planning laws
A Sheffield MP has been criticised for voting for controversial legislation which stops local people from objecting to planning applications and prevents councils from refusing schemes.
Miriam Cates, Conservative MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge, voted in favour of the new laws in the House of Commons.
She said the "important and long due planning system reforms" would help to regenerate high streets and promote the development of brownfield sites over greenfield.
Developers will be free to demolish temporarily empty shops in high streets and convert them into flats, creating ‘dead areas’ in high streets. And homeowners will be allowed to build extensions up to two storeys high.
Labour MP Steve Reed, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said developers would be able to change the character of neighbourhoods against residents’ wishes.
He said: "The Conservatives are bringing forward draconian new measures allowing developers to bulldoze and concrete over local communities, with boards of developers appointed by Whitehall given full control over decisions instead of local people.
“This legislation threatens our high streets and allows extensions that invade their neighbours’ privacy and there will be nothing local people can do to stop it."
Ms Cates said local authority control meant no developments would be allowed to block light or invade the privacy of neighbouring homes.
She said: “I want to see life return to our high streets and town centres, and the best way to do that is to build homes where there is land that has been vacant for a long period of time.
"Boarded-up shops and derelict buildings offer no benefit to the community, especially when we have a shortage of homes.
“I am proud that we are introducing minimum space standards to ensure that all properties are suitable for residential use, and a new rule to guarantee adequate natural light.
"All development will continue to be approved by the local planning authority, and residents will always be informed of any proposals."
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