MP Asks Minister to Investigate Council Claims of pressure to build on open land

10.26.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 14th Apr 2003

The row over the council's plans for re-designation metropolitan open land for development - Heathfield recreation ground, Collis playing fields, Craneford Way playing fields and Marsh Farm allotments - spilled over into parliament last week.

Vincent Cable, MP, raised the issue in Question Time with the Planning Minister.

Vincent Cable has how followed up the exchange with a letter to the Minister asking him to investigate claims by Conservative councillors that the council will be subject to financial penalties unless it allows house building on this open land.

Vincent Cable said: "residents are being told, and I have heard Conservative councillors say this at public meetings, that the government has threatened that they will be "fined" if they don't build houses on Metropolitan Open Land. "

"To the best of my knowledge this is completely false. No such system of fines exists. However, to be absolutely sure I have asked the Minister to investigate the claims". His reply to me suggested that government policy is unchanged.

It will not accept the loss of MOL - the urban equivalent of

Green Belt - and particularly playing fields unless there are quite exceptional circumstances"."

"I think residents should be aware that the council has its own agenda in relation to open land. Of course the government wants to see more affordable homes, and rightly so, and there are mutually agreed targets which the borough is already meeting, but government policy also recognises the need to avoid suburban sprawls and to conserve playing fields and green open spaces.

Trying to pass responsibility to the government will not wash"."

"Extract from Hansard:"

"Dr. Cable : If the policy is unchanged, can theMinister explain the circumstances in which my local council, which happens to be Conservative-controlled, could proceed with proposals to "

"lift metropolitan open land protection of large areas of parkland, "

"allotments and playing fields? "

"Is it true, as the council claims, that the Government have threatened that, unless it does that and builds on green land specifically to meet housing targets, it will incur financial "

"penalties from the Government? "

"Mr. McNulty : It would be remiss of me to comment on second-hand hearsay, not least from a Tory council. As I said, the policy protection afforded to MOL is the same as that for green belt, as outlined in PPG2. That has not changed. [Interruption.] If the hon. Gentleman, by his wiggling, is signalling that I should leave for my time travel or write to him, I am happy to write to him on the specifics but, as I said, I will not comment on second-hand hearsay from a Tory council.