I have always made it clear that I believe the Government target of 15,000 new homes for Torbay is unneccessary, unwanted interference by Government and against the interests and wishes of local residents.
A Government target of this nature puts undue pressure on local planning committees to find new sites for development which in turn encourages town planning officers to consider permitting urban creep onto remaining green space. These are areas that would otherwise almost certainly never get planning permission for development; and which, once developed are lost for ever.
I support Conservative Party policy to return control of these issues entirely back to local people and because if elected next week we intend to abolish targets as a matter of priority, I have urged Torbay Council to wait until after the election before making any long-term decisions on housing numbers.I successfully lobbied them not to write the 15,000 homes into the ten year structure plan proposals.
Local planning decisions must remain the preserve of locally elected politicians that residents can hold to account. As a local resident I also believe that good quality open green spaces, of which Scotts Meadow is a prime example, are already at a huge premium in Torbay and what space we have left should be preserved at all costs.
Kind regards
Marcus Wood.
Parliamentary Candidate Torbay Conservatives.
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