Lincolnshire County Council leaders fear Labour Government’s housing plans will harm countryside

Labour’s planning reforms aim to spark a house-building boom, but councillors fear their rural landscape will be targeted in a vindictive fashion.

Planning reform has been seen as a bedrock policy of this new Labour government, which believes it will be a key factor in driving economic growth in the country and ensuring more people have access to affordable housing.

With the average age of first-time buyers rising to 34 in the UK, the government sees reform as a step towards reducing it to 30, the 2007 figure before the 2008 financial crash.

In order to do this, Labour proposes building as many as 1.5 million new homes between now and 2029 by making it easier to build on reclassified low-quality green belt land.

While the plans are ambitious, some local authorities fear it is unrealistic to expect house-building to almost double in some parts of the country compared to rates under the previous Conservative administration.

Colin Davie, Executive Councillor for Economy and Place at Lincolnshire County Council (Conservative), said policies like this from the Labour Party “show signs of vindictiveness” towards countryside areas like Lincolnshire.

“The numbers they are quoting don’t seem to have any correlation to local need,” Cllr Davie said.

“Looking at the national picture, it does appear that rural areas are getting much higher numbers of housing growth without the answer to the exam question — which is who is going to provide infrastructure and support for that new housing?”

He went on to say that “every new house has requirements” when it comes to existing medical, education, and roads provision, and feels the government has “not thought that through.”

“Living in the countryside, you accept that you won’t have the same level of services as in a city, but you make that choice because you want the beauty of the countryside and the open spaces.

“Housing is very important, and I’m a great believer that we need to build what is necessary and enable young people to get on the property ladder without having to leave Lincolnshire.

“However, I feel some of these policy decisions are being rushed without due consideration of who is going to build these houses.”

Despite these concerns, City of Lincoln Council leader Naomi Tweddle (Labour) says the “opportunity” to build more affordable housing is “crucial” to capitalise on.

She said: “I support the government’s ambition to reform the planning system to ensure we get the homes we need, with the infrastructure to support sustainable communities.

“Given the national housing crisis, it’s crucial that we seize any opportunity to build more affordable housing.

“While it’s important that the process is measured and carefully managed, ensuring sustainable growth and community well-being, the building of more homes in the city is a welcomed priority and a chance to contribute to Lincoln’s future development and prosperity.”

Members of the public have until 11.45pm on September 24 to respond to the consultation, which can be accessed via the government website.