Michael Fabricant

Conservative Party | Lichfield

Fabricant challenges housing targets

3 June 2009

Michael Fabricant challenged Government ministers yesterday (2nd June) in the House of Commons on their house building targets. "They are neither achievable nor desirable", Michael says. "Of course we need more housing and we need affordable housing too for young families. Of course I am aware of that desperate need. But 8,000 new homes in Lichfield District is too many and will destroy the very essence of why people want to live in our beautiful district in the first place. The balance between housing and the environment is fragile and concreting over South Staffordshire is most certainly not the answer".

Hansard reports:

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): But why should anyone believe what the right hon. Lady says when she talks about building only on brownfield sites? She will know that many of the eco-towns proposed by her predecessor were going to be built on greenfield sites. Does she not accept that there needs to be a balance between the urgent need for extra housing and maintaining the rural environment?

The Minister for Housing, Margaret Beckett: Of course I accept that; I do not think that anyone would dispute it. I simply say to the hon. Gentleman that the reason that people should believe what we say about brownfield sites is that the Government have delivered—in fact, more than delivered—on our targets for brownfield sites. We have had many discussions in the House about the proposals for eco-towns, and he is correct to say that some of those proposals involved greenfield development. They involve a variety of types of development, and we shall return to that issue later in the year.

Then in 'Topical Questions' 20 minutes or so later..............

Michael Fabricant (Lichfield) (Con): The Campaign to Protect Rural England says that while it recognises

"the need for more homes we do not believe the aspiration for 240,000 new homes a year is either achievable or desirable".

I agree. If I may return to the question that I asked earlier, how are we going to balance 240,000 new homes, 8,000 of which will be in Lichfield district, against the need to maintain the quality of life in rural areas? I do not think that that is a conundrum that can be solved.

The Minister for Housing, Margaret Beckett: I have great respect for the CPRE, but in this regard its views are profoundly misconceived. It is all very well to say that it is not going to be easy—I accept that completely—to maintain the balance with quality of life, which the hon. Gentleman mentioned. However, if we ignore the number of households who need to be housed, and assume that because the CPRE thinks so, it is not desirable to build them homes, that will certainly damage people’s quality of life, especially among the many thousands of families who will be without homes.