NEW MP CHRIS SKIDMORE WRITES TO SECRETARY
OF STATE CONFIRM ABOLITION OF THE REGIONAL
SPATIAL STRATEGY

20th May 2010

New MP for Kingswood, Chris Skidmore, has written to the new Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, to seek reassurance and confirmation of the timings of the abolition of the previous Labour government's Regional Spatial Strategy.

In the letter, Chris explained how there are several applications to build on Green Belt land currently in process which are using the previous government's discredited RSS as an excuse to build on Green Belt. Chris stated:

"As the new MP for Kingswood, I wish to express my strong and urgent objection to the RSS, which I believe must be abolished as soon as possible. Currently in Kingswood, several sites of Green Belt land are being threatened by applications from developers who are continuing to attach significant weight to the emerging RSS created by the previous government. An application to build on Green Belt land in Oldland Common was recently rejected again by South Gloucestershire Council, however another application on Green Belt land at Mangotsfield will now be decided by the Planning Inspectorate in July. A further proposed application is threatening Green Belt land in Longwell Green."

Commenting on the letter, Chris said: "As the new MP, I believe that it is important to get the RSS abolished as soon as we possibly we can to stop these applications continuing. The new government is determined to get rid of the previous government's disastrous regional planning policy that intended to build on the greenbelt. We now need to get on with the job as soon as we possibly can"

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