AS many of you may know, the South Warwickshire Local Plan recently entered another stage of consultation.
As the MP for Meriden and Solihull East, I have written to all my constituents within the Hockley Heath Parish informing them that the Local Plan will be entering another public consultation phase, giving residents a third opportunity to voice their opinions and concerns.
The councils will be running a series of in-person and online events to promote the consultation and really want people to respond and make their comments on the emerging plan.
One of the simplest ways to respond will be online, which will be live until the deadline in March, although the more traditional ways of responding via email and by post will still be available.
A special thank you to Hockley Heath Parish Council for their engagement and for calling a public meeting so residents can have their say.
While the sites are not within my constituency, nor the borough of Solihull, I recognise these sites will have a significant detrimental impact upon Hockley Heath through increased traffic and congestion as well as pressure on local services such as schools, GPs and dentists.
The South Warwickshire planning officers need to provide answers to these important questions.
I would encourage residents to take a closer look at the emerging plan and make their views known on the preferred options identified to date. We need to ensure these plans have local consent, and if you have objections, it is vital you make your voice heard.
Hard copies of the consultation are available in Warwickshire libraries, the nearest one to Hockley Heath being Henley Community Library. I have asked for a hard copy of the consultation to be available at a community facility within Hockley Heath, given the impact any development may have on the local community.
It is clear now more than ever, how important it is for a Local Authority to have a Local Plan, as we enter a period of drastic change, instigated by the Government, on planning.
Whilst I understand that we must build more homes, it is vital that we do this in the right way as a region, with brownfield sites used first, so that we can protect our greenbelt from top-down planning proposals.
With HS2 and other major developments under way already, I have asked Government to take these into account when they ask us to sacrifice more greenbelt.
I have spoken a lot about the need for us to protect our heritage in the House of Commons, even more so since I became Shadow Minister for Culture, Media and Sport.
Our churches play key roles in their local community, serving both as a window into our past and active centres of support and sanctuary for people of all faiths and none. The people who look after them – as custodians for future generations – are volunteers who give generously of their time and energy, with little external help.
But many of them are reliant on the vital lifeline which is the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme.
Labour’s huge cut to the scheme points to a deeply concerning broader picture. The economic situation exacerbates this enormously.
We must stand up for our heritage and I will continue to press for more Government support for our places of heritage.
