Labour councillors have been slammed as 'reckless' after they risked putting vast swathes of West Lancashire Green Belt under threat.
At last week's Full Council meeting to discuss the Local Plan, Labour ignored professional advice from the Borough Council's planning officers and voted against protecting the vast majority of West Lancashire's Green Belt. The concept of sustainable development appeared to escape Labour councillors.
At the same time they ignored the independent report of the Planning Inspectorate which concluded it was inevitable that, due to the large amount of Green Belt in West Lancashire, some would have to be released to meet future housing needs for our children and grandchildren.
The independent inspector, who listened to all parties during an Examination in Public, concluded that, with some modifications, the plan was legally sound, compliant with national policy and addressed all the legal requirements.
One of the biggest surprises at Full Council came when Labour Group Leader and Burscough Councillor Roger Bell, who has publicly stated he agreed with development at the strategic housing site on Yew Tree Farm in Burscough, did a U-turn... effectively agreeing that MORE of the town's and the borough's green fields should be put at risk.
Cllr Martin Forshaw, Conservative planning spokesman, said: "Labour's vote was reckless and shameful. If they'd have won on the night, more Green Belt would have been put at risk - it would have been open season on safeguarded sites. The Conservative group would not stand by and allow Labour to let developers have a field day to the prejudice of the whole Borough. Instead we voted to protect the vast majority of the borough's open spaces whilst acknowledging the Inspector’s conclusions that some green belt inevitably would need to be utilised.
“This plan addressed the housing needs of all our residents, and the future needs and aspirations of our children and grandchildren. It addressed their economic future and Labour was prepared to risk all of this.
"It is shameful the way senior members of the Labour group have strung along members of the public with regard to the the Local Plan for their own political gain. It really is fanciful of them to suggest that in relation to planning matters, the Borough Council could function without a five year housing supply, without an enforceable Local Plan, which would have made the Council in contravention to National Planning Policy, and still have control on where residential development takes place. They really should listen to what their own Party is saying on housing delivery.
"Labour thought they could pull the wool over people's eyes by playing to the gallery and failed to grasp what the plan was about. Instead they played right into the hands of those who want to develop a much larger amount of the Green Belt in places such as Burscough, Aughton and Halsall.
"Cllr Bell has serious questions to answer over his own weak leadership in failing to stand up to his own Labour colleagues and his Labour group's willingness to play politics with our Green Belt and the economic future of the Borough."
Conservative Group leader Cllr Ian Grant added:” The Local Plan protects the vast majority of Green Belt in West Lancashire, something the Labour Group would not support by their vote, and provides opportunities for increasing employment opportunities for our residents. Perhaps they were under orders from Ed Miliband who, after all, has promised to force developers to bulld homes. Maybe they wanted West Lancashire to be one of the first places to try out their policy, which is why they were prepared to sacrifice more Green Belt.
"The Conservative Council made a difficult decision not for political gain but instead to address the needs of the Borough and its residents. Ward councillors were put under pressure to reject the plan because it affected their ward – to have done so would have been a failure to look at the needs of the whole of the Borough and all its residents. The Inspector, subject to some modifications which were approved at the Council meeting, found the plan robust, sound and delivered the needed framework for the future.
“We now have an approved plan which will deliver homes for local families, jobs and economic prosperity to West Lancashire. Labour are completely at sea about what they would do and did not make any suggestions or amendments. I can only assume they are still fighting among themselves and thinking what to do."