Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine spoke in the House of Commons this afternoon (Thursday 20 October 2011) in a general debate on the coalition Government's controversial planning reforms.
He spoke passionately about how much planning and development matters to the people of Winchester & Chandler's Ford, and referenced a number of groups and individuals who have contributed valuably to the debate, including the Alresford Society, the City of Winchester Trust, the Winchester City Residents' Association, Keith Story and Bob Howland.
The MP spoke about his views on Localism, and explained how decisions such as Barton Farm should be taken by local people, and not by the Secretary of State or a Planning Inspector.
He described that Localism does not mean 'No' any more than it means 'Yes' - it is a decision to be taken by democratically elected local councillors who know their area and the people they represent, and discussed key areas of the NPPF which have caused him and his constituents concern, including 'joint working' (across boundaries), the primacy of local plans and the presumption in favour of sustainable development.
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To read Steve's speech in full, you can download as a PDF of Steve's speech in the House of Commons on Thursday 20 October 2011.
You can view the entire debate on Hansard here.
You can watch Steve deliver his speech here.