Joy Morrissey clashes with Beaconsfield developer over greenbelt
Hawridge Strategic Land, a housebuilding company based in the southeast, lodged a planning appeal against Buckinghamshire Council's rejection[1] of its proposal to build 120 new homes on Broad Lane in Holtspur earlier this month. The application, initially submitted in June 2023, was refused by the council because of its location on the green belt - land traditionally protected from development to prevent urban sprawl. Ms Morrissey, who was re-elected as Conservative MP for Beaconsfield in July, released a statement strongly opposing the appeal last week - suggesting that there was insufficient "local infrastructure" to support 120 new properties and that they risked putting "existing services under increased pressure".
She also claimed "loud and clear community opposition" from Holtspur residents and said the council would be "ignoring the voices of local people" if they granted the appeal. Chairman of Hawridge, Eric Gadsden has since responded to the MP's criticism - describing her comments as "profoundly depressing" and indicative of "(having) no understanding of the housing crisis that exists in this country".
Mr Gadsden, whose company previously boasted of its proposal's capacity to help the council meet its housing targets, said the "growth of people sleeping rough in doorways" around the country "should not exist in a civilised and prosperous society" - and suggested that politicians in Westminster were not prioritising "making sure everyone has a proper roof over their head".
He added: "The site at Holtspur is what is now termed 'grey land', situated between the A40 and the motorway. It has no great landscape value, but good access and amenities. "The idea that there is insufficient local infrastructure does not stand up, and, indeed, with our appeal we have included a letter from a local bus company welcoming the development as helping to support their services."
The council's planning committee appeared to base its refusal squarely on green belt concerns rather than traffic or infrastructure issues, and Buckinghamshire Highways endorsed the plans last autumn, especially in their inclusion of new pedestrian and cycle paths around and across the A40.
It comes after the Labour government announced an overhaul of the planning system after the general election in July, paving the way for 1.5 million new homes over the next five years to tackle the country's housing crisis.
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