I'm fighting government plans to build 10,000 new homes on Fylde and Wyre countryside

A Fylde coast MP has launched a major new campaign to ensure that green spaces across Fylde and Wyre are preserved amid new government planning rules which could see 10,000 new homes being built.

Andrew Snowden, Conservative MP for Fylde, has described revised house-building targets as ‘unrealistic and unfair’, with the Labour government's new planning rules necessitating councils to identify land for new homes.

According to Snowden, Fylde and Wyre councils would need to build 10,000 new houses over the next decade alone, prompting fears that such targets would lead to local countryside and green spaces being earmarked for development.

In response, Mr Snowden has launched his ‘Save Our Greenbelt’ petition calling on the Government to slash the housing targets and stop local communities being forced to absorb excessive levels of development.

He also warned that councils would have little choice but to identify land for development if they want to retain any control over where homes are built.

‘Infrastructure is already struggling to keep up’

"Labour wants 10,000 new houses built across Fylde and Wyre over the next ten years,” said Andrew Snowden MP. “That is the equivalent of building two new towns the size of Kirkham and Wesham.

“Where are the extra GP surgeries? Where are the new school places? Where are the road improvements? Where is the investment in water, drainage and public services?” he added. "People can already see the pressure on local infrastructure.

“Getting a GP appointment is harder than ever. Our roads are busier. School places are under pressure. Residents are rightly asking how our communities can cope with thousands more houses when the infrastructure is already struggling to keep up.”

‘We need homes for local people’

"Nobody is saying we should not build new homes,” Mr Snowden continued. “Of course we need homes for local people. But what Labour is proposing goes far beyond sensible development. These targets have been imposed from Whitehall with little regard for the impact on local communities.

“Fylde and Wyre's combined housing target has been almost doubled from 537 houses a year to 992 a year. Meanwhile, housing targets have actually been reduced in places like London and Birmingham. It simply is not fair. Labour is asking communities like ours to take the strain while other parts of the country are being let off the hook.

"If councils fail to allocate enough land, planning decisions increasingly end up being taken out of local hands and handed to planning inspectors. That means local people have less say over what gets built and where. That is why it is so important that residents stand together and send a clear message to the Government that enough is enough."

What has Fylde Council said?

Leader of Fylde Council, Cllr Karen Buckley, said: “Fylde is being forced to allocate more land for housing because of Labour’s new national targets. If these higher figures hadn’t been imposed on us, we could protect far more of our countryside and green spaces.

“We’re updating our Local Development Plan now, ahead of Local Government Reorganisation, to do everything we can to safeguard Fylde’s natural assets. Without an up-to-date plan, we’d have little defence against speculative development and it could be a free-for-all. But the Government insists we meet their targets if we want our plan approved.

“At the same time, the Government is stripping away the powers of planning committees so local councillors will have less influence or ability to represent their residents. It is yet another move to side-line local voices."

What has Wyre Council said?

Leader of Wyre Council, Cllr Michael Vincent, added: "Wyre has already delivered thousands of new homes and has taken more than its fair share of development over many years. Residents in communities such as Poulton, Garstang and elsewhere already have concerns about pressure on roads, schools and healthcare services.

"The Government's new targets will only increase those pressures further.

‘Out of touch with reality’

“Our countryside is part of what makes our part of Lancashire so special,” said Mr Snowden. "We cannot allow Labour to concrete over huge areas of green space without the roads, schools, GP surgeries and infrastructure needed to support it.

“I am asking residents across Lancashire to sign the petition and help us send a clear message to the Housing Minister: these housing targets are too high, too fast and completely out of touch with reality.”

Residents can sign the petition at: www.andrewsnowden.uk/campaigns/save-our-greenbelt