Telford & Wrekin councillor hits back at MP Mark Pritchard over housing
A councillor has hit back at Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard after he accused his authority of "deliberately" trying to change the character and charm of the borough's market towns.
Telford & Wrekin councillor Charles Smith, cabinet member for housing, development and borough towns, said Mr Pritchard had "got his facts wrong".
In response to the Tory MP's comments, which came as the Labour-run council considers hundreds of new homes for both Wellington and Newport, Mr Smith said: "Had he spoken to us first this could have easily been avoided."
Mr Pritchard's comments, published in the Shropshire Star yesterday, accused the council of having "little regard for how the scale and speed of housing developments impact on communities". He had written to the council expressing his concerns about plans to build 360 houses on farmland off Haygate Road in Wellington.
There are also plans for more than 400 homes to be built in Newport, along with a controversial supermarket on the edge of the town.
But Mr Smith said the council had not received a planning application for the area of Wellington the MP referred to.
He said: "Mr Pritchard should know that when a developer submits plans for new homes, as a planning authority, the council must follow Mr Pritchard's Government's policies and requirements and must determine any application in accordance with current planning policy.
"Clearly, Mr Pritchard is also ignoring his own Government including the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Planning Minister who have all stressed to councils the importance of supporting new housing development to provide much-needed new homes and economic growth.
"His claim that priority is given to greenfield development is false. Our policy is to ensure that brownfield land is developed first as the hundreds of new homes going up now in Lawley, Lightmoor and Ketley, all brownfield sites, show we are delivering on our commitment.
"The council has not received any application for a housing development on the land Mr Pritchard refers to off Haygate Road, Wellington.
"However, if the council receives a planning application, this would be dealt with as part of the normal planning process and the council will listen to all comments and concerns."
He said that if the council receives income through new homes and population growth it delivers services for these communities and also uses the income to cover other services which benefit the whole community.
"Mr Pritchard also chooses to ignore that this council has invested in and regenerated market towns across the borough to enhance their character and appeal with significant schemes in the last few years in Newport, Wellington, Dawley, Madeley, Hadley, Ironbridge and Oakengates."
