The Bishop of Leicester, the Rt Revd Tim Stevens, has urged the government to do more for housing and regeneration in Leicester and Leicestershire. Speaking during the second reading of the Housing and Regeneration Bill in the House of Lords, on Monday April 28th, Bishop Tim asked the government to keep people’s quality of life at the forefront of their plans to build thousands of new homes.
He said: “Building new houses requires
much more than aesthetic design value or the right location of the
estate. People want more houses to be built, but they want houses in
flourishing communities… Urban geographers argue that what makes a good
city transcends the immediate and tangible and leads us to speak of
matters such as the quality of life, the need for nurture and the need
for a human face for the city. Sadly, the test of a flourishing
community has not always been at the forefront of our housing and
regeneration policy, so I hope that the new Homes and Communities Agency
will be charged with creating communities that have strong economies, a
well educated workforce, vibrant centres, a healthy population and good
transport and that are cosmopolitan and inclusive, well run, sustainable
and well regarded.”
Bishop Tim asked the government to ensure that the views of local people
and politicians were taken into account when major new developments were
planned.
Commenting on the plans for the Ecotown
at Pennbury, to the east of Leicester which will see 12-15,000 new homes
built, Bishop Tim commented: “There is intense concern locally, in city
and county, that this proposed scheme is not the right way forward. The
protests seem to amount to something much more than ‘nimbyism’. Local
people feel that this will undo much of the good planning work that is
already in place from recent years. The ongoing consultation period by
the Government will need to see a much closer working relationship with
the local authorities, taking their concerns seriously, as well as the
concerns of other local and national agencies, before final decisions
are made. The Government have made this a central part of their housing
policy, but by centrally controlling and driving this policy through,
they risk jeopardising the creation of the new houses that they and
local communities want. Surely that policy could be better achieved
through the local democratic process and the Government should be more
prepared to trust local communities with the decision-making on where to
site the new developments. As it stands, there is a significant risk
that we will be creating an eco-ghetto rather than an eco-town. At the
moment, no realistic transport strategy is in place for the proposed
town. The Government will have to ensure that a joint transport
assessment is undertaken, including consideration of a new link to the
M1 or a tram line.”
Ends
Notes to Editors:
The Housing and Regeneration Bill will see the creation of the Homes and
Communities Agency (HCA), which will take on the powers of the Housing
Corporation and English Partnerships, to create a single agency charged
with delivering housing and regeneration policy for the country.
The Prime Minister announced that he wishes to see 3 million new homes
built by 2020, and this bill will give the HCA the powers to deliver
this target. The Government also intend the bill to give social tenants
new rights to high standards of housing, access to better services and
more say over how their homes are managed.
For a full transcript of the debate see
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200708/ldhansrd/text/80428-0006.htm#0804285000002.
Further information:
Liz Jepson 0116 248 7402 Mobile: 07966 288731
e-mail: liz.jepson@leccofe.org
