Whitmore Reans green space again under threat

11.44.54am GMT Tue 21st Feb 2006

Lorely Burt MP (left) outlines the provisions of her Bill to Robin Lawrence

At the end of last year developers submitted a plan to Wolverhampton Council to build flats on open green space at the corner of Coleman Street and Gibbs Street. Wolverhampton Liberal Democrats are prominent in campaigns to protect public green space and in January the City's Planning Committee rejected the application. It now seems that the developers are exercising their right to appeal and want to try again to build on the site.

Park Ward's Lib Dem candidate, Robin Lawrence, has consulted Solihull's Lib Dem MP, Mrs Lorely Burt. She is steering a bill through Parliament called "The Local Government and Planning (Parkland and Windfall Development) Bill" but nicknamed "Lorely's Law". The Bill has a number of provisions including one which says that any proposed sale of public green space with sufficient objections would trigger a local referendum and another that says that trees over a certain size and age would be protected so that developers could not get rid of them prior to submitting a planning application

Mrs Burt told Robin Lawrence that she is calling on the Government to implement the 2004 Planning Act which will stop developers being able to re-submit applications time and time again, causing communities years of worry while developers try to wear down their resistance. Robin said "This Bill would restore the balance and give local people a say in the planning decisions which shape their environments and their lives'".