HAMPSHIRE’S Liberal Democrats led the rebellion against the Government’s controversial ‘free for all’ planning reforms at the party’s conference in Brighton yesterday.
Eastleigh council leader Cllr Keith House attacked Chancellor George Osborne, saying the proposals, aimed at kick-starting the economy, would cause rows between neighbours and prove costly for councils.
He told members: “The balance of our planning system is likely to be undermined, for decades and generations to come.”
The Lib Dems also demanded action to get new homes built after a motion put forward by Winchester councillor Martin Tod . They called for 300,000 more homes to be built, with councils given ‘use it or lose it’ powers to force developers to build on land that has already been awarded planning permission.
Cllr Tod also said social housing tenants should be able to change provider if their landlord is not up to scratch.
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