Parties unite to fight plans for new homes

7:00pm Friday 27th June 2008

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By Melanie Vass »

POLITICS were pushed aside as the campaign to save South East Dorset from the threat of 48,000 new homes was launched in robust style.

Councillors representing an area including Christchurch, East Dorset and Purbeck pledged to work together to fight the government's house-building figures.

South east Dorset has been told it should plan on 48,100 new homes in the next 18 years but the government is currently considering whether to increase this.

In any case, it has been made clear to local councils that the government will not be funding improvements to local roads, schools, hospitals or sewerage systems but instead expects them to work with developers.

Conservative, Liberal Democrat, Labour and Independent councillors from across the region met at Bournemouth Town Hall to decide how best to mobilise public support and fight the plans.

Ideas suggested include forming a human chain from Throop to Upton, carrying out a mass leaflet drop of residents and holding a rally outside the BIC for the Local Government Association conference next week. The Lytchett Minster action group has also put a petition on the 10 Downing Street Website.

Annette Brooke, MP for Mid Dorset and North Poole, said: "It's important to keep the identity of our communities. Villages are an important part of English life and I really don't believe Dorset should be building edge to edge.

"We are inter-dependent on each other but I would contend that we don't want to be just one huge urban area."

And Cllr Ron Parker, Poole's cabinet member for the economy, said: "There is no financial support available to address the shortfall in infrastructure.

"It's just not sufficient to rely on developers' contributions to provide this infrastructure, when there are so many demands on them in the current economic climate."