Lib Dem-run South Cambridgeshire District Council is under threat of speculative planning as a result of the Labour government’s plans to carpet bomb Britain with houses.
In December, Keir Starmer’s government published a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) alongside Labour’s blind-sighted demands to build 1.5 million houses over the next 5 years.
With an outrageously high housing target, Lib Dems at South Cambs Council have now lost their Five Year Land Supply – opening the floodgates to unprecedented development.
When a council loses their Land Supply, councils lose control of housing, giving rise to speculative development and allowing developers to steamroll the local countryside with housing developments.
Perhaps the Lib Dems – who chanted “anything but Conservative” in the run up to the 2024 General Election – will think again when it comes to backing Labour.
This catastrophic failure from Labour and the Lib Dems means residents will face the prospect of an uncontrolled housing Blitz across Cambridgeshire.
Cllr Heather Williams, Leader of the Conservative Opposition at South Cambridgeshire District Council, said:
“The fear of uncontrolled development in South Cambridgeshire has now become a real-life threat with the council losing its Five Year Land Supply.
“This is not just about where houses are built. It’s about our communities, some of which may grow out of control as a consequence – putting more pressure on local schools and GP surgeries.
“That is the cold reality of what will happen now as a result of Labour’s decision to move the goalposts without warning.
“Since Labour took power nationally, I have raised my concerns that, in their blind-sighted ambition to hit their housing targets and to recover from their poor economic strategy, the residents of Cambridgeshire will suffer.
“This is yet another blow for us as guardians of our green spaces, who truly care about getting the right houses in the right places and protecting our countryside from unrestrained bulldozers.
“The Lib Dems at South Cambs need to address this quickly and efficiently. Currently, I cannot see how this is being done but we will continue to make the case that our residents do not become casualties in the process.
“For many people, the words ‘Five Year Land Supply’ have no meaning. But make no doubt, the repercussions of this will be to the detriment of South Cambridgeshire’s residents – and the Lib Dems’ hands are not clean. They supported a Labour government when they chanted “anything but Conservative” – and we are all now going to pay for the politics of hatred.”
