Garden grabbing development must stop says West Midlands Liberal Democrat MP

3.18.04pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 26th Jun 2006

Liberal Democrat MP for Solihull, Lorely Burt, renewed her call for an urgent revision of government planning guidance to stop 'garden grabbing' development following an opposition debate yesterday on brownfield development. Mrs Burt, whose Local Government and Planning (Parkland and Windfall Development) Bill receives its second reading in the Commons in October, said that local councils and communities must be given back control of planning decisions affecting their own area.

Commenting, Mrs Burt said: "The scale of inappropriate windfall development in areas like Solihull is irreparably damaging the character and cohesion of many of our leafy suburbs. Local councillors and residents are often powerless to prevent garden grabbing development once the developer has appealed to Government Planning Inspectors for a decision. It is essential that back gardens are reclassified as greenbelt as opposed to brownfield or 'developed' land. Communities, through their locally elected councillors, should have the final say in deciding on appropriate development in their area."