Message from James Arbuthnot MP
Posted by James Arbuthnot, MP for North East Hampshire, at 15:47, Tue 4 July 2006:
As this is my first communication via Hear From Your MP I thought it best to concentrate on what I believe to be the most pressing constituency issue – house building.
I suspect most people are aware of all the talk in the local and national press about the levels of house building. Hopefully, all politicians agree that some level house building, particularly affordable housing, is necessary and desirable. But there are sticking points in this debate which I would welcome your views on.
What do you think is the best way to decide how many new houses need to be built, should central Government allocate targets to each county or should individual counties and communities decide for themselves? And if the latter, how do we avoid people rejecting even development that is genuinely needed to allow local workers to continue to live in their community?
Do you think it is best to provide this additional housing by creating new mega-developments like the thousands of homes proposed in Fleet, or would it be better to encourage organic growth across a greater number of towns and villages? In other words, should the change be large but localised or smaller but wider spread?
Should we insist that new infrastructure such as roads, schools, GP surgeries and water resources are in place before any increase in development? And if so, how should it be paid for?
And finally, the South East Regional Assembly have said Hampshire needs an extra 6,100 new houses to be built each year for the next 20 years. Do you think this is too many, too little or about right?
Thank you for taking the time to register with this innovative new site and I look forward to hearing your views.
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Posted by Barrie England, 07:08, Wed 5 July 2006: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Mr Arbuthnot
I should first like to thank you for taking this initiative to contact your constituents in this way. This kind of consultation has the makings of a more direct democracy and I hope you get a good response. Apart from anything else, the questions you pose will make us all realise that taking decisions on these matters is not as easy as we might think.
On the substance, I think it is difficult to consider housing apart from a number of other big issues. We need more housing, we are told, because there are more one-person households. What, if anything, should we be doing about that? We need more housing in the south-east because that’s where people seem to want to live. Same question. Many of us live at some distance from our work, principally in London, and need to commute from the home counties. Ditto, a third time. The answers might be greater de-centralisation and greater emphasis on family values. But not so easy to bring about. As always, the times they are a-changin’.
Here are my immediate reactions to your specific questions. There should, I think, be a dialogue between central and local government in deciding how many houses are to be built, and where. That dialogue should take full account of the views of existing residents. I am, I fear, no more immune to nimbyism than anyone else. I live in a pleasant part of Hampshire with a nice open field beyond and I don’t want that to change. The surrounding area has already accommodated a huge development at Elvetham Heath, and that should be enough to be going on with. So no more big developments around Fleet, please. And no more encroaching on the countryside. Fill-ins and replacements perhaps, if there’s a real need.
On infrastructure, there should, of course, be guarantees that all additional services will be in place by the time developments are finished. Elvetham Heath seems to have increased the traffic along the narrow lanes around here. What consideration, I wonder, was given to such environmental issues when approval was given for the development? I see no alternative to education, health, transport and water in these circumstances being paid for in the usual way, from general taxation, but I’d like to hear arguments the other way.
Difficult to know, without the demographic facts, whether 6100 new homes a year for the next 20 would be right. It seems a very long commitment. Who provides these figures, and on what are they based?
Hope this helps (although I seem to have asked as many questions as I’ve answered).
With good wishes
Barrie England
Posted by Bruce Shaxson, 22:47, Wed 5 July 2006: (Is this post abusive?) #
Counties and local communitiies should decide where to build where the need is greatest and not leave it to people like Prescott.Resources should be included in all plans for building sites and the cost included in the sale price- it is for the house owners needs.The South East Regional Assembly at Guildford, a monstrosity from the EU over which S.E. people were never consulted- when the EU is involved, people never are. Close the unnecessary monstrosity down!
Posted by Craig Grannell, 19:56, Mon 10 July 2006: (Is this post abusive?) #
Dear Mr Arbuthnot
Good to see you continuing your strong record of communicating with those in the area, now by embracing current technology! Regarding the specific issue you wrote about, I'm a resident of Darset Avenue in Fleet, and we currently have the spectre of a massive out-of-keeping development in the adjacent (currently business-zoned) road looming over us, so this is definitely a subject that interests.
As a resident of Fleet - a town that's seen Ancells Farm and Elvetham Heath pop up in recent years - I can't see how the area can cope with any more large developments. We're already hearing of people who live right next to secondary schools being forced to send their children to schools miles away, and the roads around the train station are gridlocked morning and evening. (This, obviously, is another reason why local residents are against the hundreds of dwellings proposed for the business park site.) Should the council decide on further massive developments, the infrastructure needs to be in place first, otherwise everyone suffers.
I think organic growth is the only way forward, short of stemming the growth in the south/migrating towards the south (which is clearly not going to happen). That said, such growth needs to take into account existing residents, but also environmental issues. For example, Fleet Pond is a wonderful place, but it could be forever ruined if developments near it are allowed to go ahead.
Regards,
C Grannell.