Regional Issues
Facing
the Future - a regional group view
Peter
Langley,Vice Chairman, CPRE West Midlands
Updates 5th May 2007 in Blue
The review of
the Regional Spatial Strategy is grappling with some big issues for the future
of Worcestershire.
When it was published in 2004 the Regional Assembly
convinced ministers two years ago to sign up to a most welcome strategy of
urban regeneration, taking development pressure away from Worcestershire and
the other shire counties.
However, that decision is already under threat, ironically
from the Government itself who wants theRegional Assembly to dramatically increase house building numbers as part of its current review of the strategy. The Government's new-found 'housing at all costs' approach
threatens nearly a 50% increase in house building rates over 25 years, with
bigger increases in some areas. Worcester, with its status as a so-called
'sub-regional focus' for development, would be particularly hard hit.
Threatening precious countryside
Because the supply of previously developed land is
limited, the great majority of the extra houses would be built on green field
sites outside urban areas, threatening precious countryside.
Parts of the Green Belt itself would
probably be lost and the character of small towns and villages could be
undermined. It would become more difficult to regenerate major urban areas like
Birmingham and the Black Country, to make more efficient use of land and to
reduce over-dependence on the private car.
Exodus
The exodus from the
Metropolitan Area into Worcestershire - already running at 2,500-3,000 people
(net) every year - would almost certainly increase. It is tragic that
Worcestershire County Council have so far been willing to go along with the
Government's proposals.
However, all is not lost. CPRE's West Midlands Regional
Group, now led by your own Chairman Tom McDoinald, is fighting hard to counter
the proposals
Through the Regional Strategy review process we will be
pulling out all the stops to bring home to local authorities, the Regional
Assembly and the Government itself the folly of these proposals. You can read more about the review on our regional website (linK)
We will argue on many different fronts - technical
assumptions (for example about population growth, average household size and
demolition rates); the capacity of different areas to absorb new housing; and
above all the global and local environmental consequences of growth.
LET'S
HAVEYOURVIEWS This is not just a technical exercise. You can help by telling us
what a 50% increase in house building over a long period would mean for your
area.
If you would like to help in that way, please write to me
at
12 Squires Road, Stretton-on-Dunsmore, near Rugby
CV23 9HF (plangley@btinternet.co.uk)
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