The Chiltern Society has today written to Cllr Ron Tindall at Dacorum Borough Council expressing concerns about the Council potentially approving the emerging draft Local Plan this evening, and in particular its ramifications for the future of the Green Belt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in the Chilterns. Having looked at the draft Plan we have significant concerns about the scale of development proposed, particularly as it is unclear whether targets are likely to be changed as a result of the Government’s proposed changes to the planning system. The Government is already indicating that it will review the algorithm for calculating housing numbers, and this could direct more development to the north of England, and away from the South East and areas such as Dacorum, with a high percentage of Green Belt and AONB.
Having looked at this evening’s Agenda, it looks as though the approval of the Local Plan has been removed and has been replaced by a Motion, proposed by Cllr Tindall, to seek a reduction in the overall housing numbers from the Government. The Chiltern Society fully supports this Motion as it believes the current numbers are too high and have not been sufficiently adjusted to take into account the significant constraints within this area. We hope that the numbers will be reduced once it is clear how the Government will treat the Green Belt in housing numbers calculations and that the Local Plan will be amended accordingly before being published for consultation.
