I love our county and this part of the world. I cherish the open green spaces, rolling hills, stunning coastline, and beautiful waterways. I’m also captivated by the rich history of our villages and towns, which have thrived for millennia.
Change is inevitable, but it must be managed responsibly. While we must adapt to modern times, we should preserve our collective past, which gives us a sense of grounding and helps us avoid repeating the mistakes of previous generations.
I’ve spent a lot of time in Cranbrook, both during the run-up to the General Election and since being elected. I’ve studied how the town was designed and, more importantly, what infrastructure was promised to support the growing population and surrounding areas. This includes roads, schools, medical services, supermarkets, community centres, and sewage treatment works.
I’ve been shocked by how much of this promised infrastructure remains undelivered. I’m equally dismayed by how hard the people of Cranbrook have had to campaign for basic amenities like a supermarket. This is unacceptable, and we should never put any community in this position again.
The not-so-new Labour Government has pledged to build 1.5 million new homes during this Parliament, likely by 2029. However, there is no clear plan to ensure that the infrastructure required to support these homes is delivered in parallel. On top of that, the Government is undertaking significant local government reorganisation, and further stripping power from local communities and limiting their ability to voice concerns.
As I’ve said many times, I’m not against housebuilding. But I am against developments that fail to deliver the necessary infrastructure. And I oppose mass housebuilding that erodes the beauty and history of our wonderful county.
So, what does this mean for us? Each local council with planning authority is required to create a local plan. This plan identifies land available for development, and the local council works with central government to deliver housing. In our case, the Liberal Democrat-led East Devon District Council (EDDC) has proposed building tens of thousands more homes in the Exmouth and Exeter East constituency. However, in their 270-page local plan, only two pages are dedicated to infrastructure. Worse still, the process for submitting feedback on the local plan is so convoluted that it almost seems designed to discourage public engagement.
I will finish this article as I began. I love our home. I will not allow poor planning and headline-grabbing targets to destroy what makes our area so special. We are temporary custodians of this land, and I want it to be protected and enjoyed by future generations. I will continue to fight and push back whenever I see a lack of joined-up thinking or when housing developments are planned without the necessary infrastructure to support them.
You can watch my recent speech in Parliament here: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18XSr4FYRX/
