George calls for development moratorium in St Ives

 

Andrew George meets members of the neighbourhood development plan team in St Ives last Saturday

West Cornwall MP, Andrew George, called for a moratorium on any further large scale development in St Ives until the St Ives Neighbourhood Development Plan had completed all of its remaining procedures to become an integral part of local planning law; anticipated in about June of this year.

Mr George is a strong supporter of initiatives to develop neighbourhood development plans in the constituency and has warmly congratulated the St Ives Neighbourhood Development team on their efforts.  Mr George met some of the leading members of the Neighbourhood Development Plan team at the weekend before reinforcing his request for a “moratorium”.

Mr George has previously described the current planning and development climate as an unseemly “gold rush”.  He wrote to the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles MP, last Autumn, to request a “moratorium”.

Mr George said “The Neighbourhood Development Plan team have done a fantastic job.  They deserve very warm congratulations from the local community.  They have just completed a further consultation stage and it is anticipated that the plan has the full force of the law, after a referendum takes place, in the next few months.

“In the meantime, the Government should give the St Ives area a break from the avalanche of large scale development proposals which it has experienced.  It is wrong that these are deliberately being rushed into the system before the Local Plan and The Neighbourhood Development Plan become formal policy and will have the full force of the law this summer.

“The planning system is fuelled by greed rather than need.  The Neighbourhood Development Plan, on the other hand, is an attempt to shape the future of the community to meet need and to constrain greed.  The Government should give St Ives a break.”