The proposed garden village in the North Elmham, Billingford and Bintree area has unsurprisingly been a major source of concern for many of the communities that already are in that area.

That’s why I have been following the issue so closely, and why I continue to liaise with local communities and councillors, as well as the Leader of Breckland Council.

Further to my ‘Garden Villages’ post on 22nd August (see here),  I have become aware that the developer behind the plans, Lanpro, has decided to try and lobby the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government in the hope of seeing an amendment to the Garden Communities Prospectus – in which private developers would then be allowed to proceed with proposals without the currently needed support of the local authority.

I believe any such amendment would be a mistake – undermining public trust in the planning system and the Government’s commitment to localism at a time when it is already so low.

I have, therefore, written directly to the Minister for Housing (copying my letter to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government) in order to seek reassurances that no such amendment will be made. I have also spoken to the EDP, who have run an article in today’s paper.

Rest assured, I will continue to monitor this situation closely – and I hope to provide another update in the near future.

Download letter to Kit Malthouse MP, Minister of State for Housing