Oral Answers to Questions

Simon Danczuk Excerpts

Monday 17th September 2012 Commons Chamber

The Secretary of State was asked—

[Simon Danczuk (Rochdale) (Lab)]

1. What his policy is on the protection of green-belt land.

[Dr Alan Whitehead (Southampton, Test) (Lab)]

10. What his policy is on altering green-belt boundaries.

[The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (Mr Eric Pickles)]

The green belt is an important protection against urban sprawl, providing a green lung around towns and cities. The national planning policy framework delivers the coalition’s agreement to safeguard the green belt. Inappropriate development should not be approved in the green belt, and boundaries should be altered only in exceptional circumstances.

[Simon Danczuk]

As we all know, Rochdale is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the United Kingdom—[Interruption.] Can the Secretary of State assure me and residents of Rochdale that we will not have to swap some of our green-belt land for house building?

[Mr Pickles]

For a moment I thought the hon. Gentleman was going to put that to the vote; I would have been on his side.

The Planning Inspectorate looked at Rochdale metropolitan borough council’s core strategy, and as the hon. Gentleman will know, consultation ends next Monday. It was extended to allow consideration of the proposed release of 55 hectares of green-belt land on the South Heywood development, but that has now been excluded from the core strategy. The inspector looked at the proposed removal of that area from the green belt, tested the council and found that plans for making such an exception were not sufficiently robust. If hon. Members have any doubts about the importance of the green belt, they should see the hon. Gentleman, who can testify to the policy’s stringent nature.