Coalition agreement set to restore local democracy and scrap Regional Spatial Strategy

9.58.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 25th May 2010

Annette has campigned against the RSS for many years

Annette Brooke has welcomed the joint policy statement from the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives. In the Communities and Local Government section both parties have endorsed their own previous polices and have pledged to abolish Regional Spatial Strategies, protect the green belt and other valued green spaces and return decision making powers on housing and planning to local councils.

Annette said 'this is excellent news and shows how parties working together can achieve what the majority of people want. This should mean that our local green belt will be protected and the previous housing proposals for large scale development in the Lytchett area, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne and Colehill, in my constituency will be scrapped. This will still leave the onus on our local councils to provide much needed affordable housing for local people on an appropriate scale. I hope that we will see a better way of working locally and not return to the situation where local conservative controlled councils were proposing the large developments in Corfe Mullen and Wimborne/Colehill and Dorset County Council was still defending these decisions at the Inquiry into the SW Regional Spatial Strategy.'

Notes:

Extracts from page 11: The Coalition: Our Programme for Government launched on Thursday 20th May

. We will promote the radical devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local government and community groups. This will include a review of local government finance.

We will rapidly abolish Regional Spatial Strategies and return decision-making powers on housing and planning to local councils, including giving councils new powers to stop 'garden grabbing'.

We will maintain the Green Belt, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) and other environmental protections, and create a new designation - similar to SSSIs - to protect green areas of particular importance to local communities.