Nascot residents tell me, Penny Edwards and Councillor Andrew Mortimer, that they are particularly worried about the reported effects the proposed changes to the planning laws will have on the current guide lines which contain a presumption against back garden development.
I recognise that developments whose effect is to change the character of Nascot are very unpopular. Back garden developments are regarded by those contacting me as being especially damaging. I am opposed to back garden developments and believe there have been too many in Nascot in recent years.
The Government’s proposals will localise planning and give residents more, not less, influence over their area’s future.
At the heart of the policy is a transition away from top-down planning and national building targets. Under the reforms local people will have a much greater say; not strangers to the situation who run the Appeals process from Bristol. Regional planning policies are gone and planning consents which overrule the views of local people will become increasingly rare.
From a national perspective we are short of housing and the average first time buyer is in their thirties. This is not good for our nation’s future. We can not continue down the current path.
These proposals are potentially good for Watford because they give its residents, through Watford Borough Council’s Local Development Framework, the ability to decide their community’s future. Parts of the country which need more housing will have a Framework which permits development, while areas like Nascot, whose residents are concerned to preserve its character, can have a Framework which gives them the protection they seek.
Residents will be able to decide which locally important sites and spaces are specifically protected from development.
It is precisely because the proposed planning reforms rely on the decisions of local councils, and residents’ doubts concerning the Lib Dems’ past record in Watford, that it is important that Nascot has strong Conservative representation on the Council. Penny Edwards has the skills and determination which make her the ideal candidate for the job.
Penny says: “I’m delighted that the Coalition’s new planning reforms will give more power to local residents. This means responsibility will rest with the Council to enact local development decisions in accordance with residents’ wishes. If elected I promise to work hard to ensure planning policy fulfils residents’ expectations and does not lead to further degradation of Nascot.”