Major campaign launched to protect Fylde and Wyre green spaces as 'unrealistic' targets set

A major campaign has been launched to protect the Fylde Coast's green spaces amid concerns that housing targets are ‘unrealistic and unfair’ and could lead to the loss of valuable countryside.

The campaign comes as Fylde and Wyre councils are being forced by the Government to identify land for thousands of additional homes under Labour's new planning rules.

Under the revised targets, 10,000 new homes would need to be built across Fylde and Wyre over the next decade alone.

Fylde MP Andrew Snowdon has now launched a "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 said: "Labour wants 10,000 new houses built across Fylde and Wyre over the next ten years. 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?

"People can already see the pressure on local infrastructure.

"Nobody is saying we should not build new homes. Of course we need homes for local people. But what Labour is proposing goes far beyond sensible development.”

Fylde's & Wyre's combined housing target has been almost doubled from 537 houses a year to 992 a year.

That is the equivalent of building two new towns the size of Kirkham and Wesham in a decade.

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

He added: "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."

Leader of Fylde Council Cllr Karen Buckley said that Fylde was being forced to allocate more land for housing and if it wasn’t for the targets, more countryside could be protected.

“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 sideline local voices."

Leader of Wyre Council, Cllr Michael Vincent said residents in communities such as Poulton, Garstang and elsewhere already have concerns about pressure on roads, schools and healthcare services.

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

Andrew Snowden concluded:"Our countryside is part of what makes our part of Lancashire so special.

"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