NO 10 REJECTS CALL TO SUSPEND REGIONAL SPATIAL STRATEGY

4.05.51pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 8th Jun 2009

Solihull's MP, Lorely Burt has received a response from the Prime Minister's Office to a petition of over 850 names on the No 10 website calling for the suspension of Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS), including plans for the trebling of numbers to 20,600 extra houses in Solihull Borough - the Government's preferred option.

A response from No 10 rejected the call, saying:

"The Government does not agree with the proposition that regional housing targets determined through the RSS should be suspended.

"The Government is committed to regional planning and allocation of housing numbers to the district level through the existing RSS system."

Mrs Burt said she was "disappointed, but not surprised by the response."

The Solihull MP attended the Enquiry In Public in Wolverhampton last week, making her case against the plans put forward on behalf of Government by hired consultants, Nathaniel Lichfield Partners.

"By listening to developers who understandably want to maximize profits by building on green space, Government is missing out on a real opportunity for brownfield regeneration in places like Stoke-on-Trent," said Mrs Burt.

"If these proposals for extra housing on top of the original figures agreed by Solihull Council were adopted, Solihull Borough would be taking 25% of the proposed increases, which is a nonsense and would amount to environmental vandalism locally."

Liberal Democrat Leader, Nick Clegg has already pledged the Liberal Democrats would suspend the RSS and allow local communities and councils more freedom to determine their own housing needs.