Homes for the North group shows why we need a North East Mayor

Interesting debate Thursday in the House of Commons when a large group of northern housing associations came together to make the case for devolution and the consequential policy and overall solutions that would result in more and better homes. I attended the debate, spoke v briefly - and afterwards chatted to two of major  housing providers that live and work in the north east and particularly Northumberland: Mark Henderson of Home Group and Keith Lorraine of Isos (see picture below) have many thousands of properties under management. The debate focused on many issues, but I found very interesting the much expressed complaint that in the north east we have multiple different local authorities, differing local housing plans, differing agendas to green belt, urban renewal and definitely different planning teams at the local authorities. The consequence is obvious - less building, fewer homes, greater costs to both local authorities / taxpayer and the developers, and an overall lack of any coordinated regional plan.
I am of the view that one of the benefits of a North East Mayor would be that regional overview.
Similarly, the impression of the housing needs not featuring in infrastructure renewal and expansion also featured. The flip side to that argument is how often does the housing developer reach out to the highways team, the combined local authority, and more particularly the LEP?
That development of an integrated approach and proper focused liaison rather than a wish list to the LEP will be one thing I hope Homes for the North take forward.
Finally, I challenged my two largest housing providers to look at the NCC estate - which is in excess of 100 properties - following the amalgamations of the district councils, and the movement of many things to Morpeth and beyond, and address their suitability for conversion into housing accommodation property. I remember in 2008 touring the two large former hospital sites at Stannington and Prudhoe - both had lain idle for many years at great cost to the taxpayer = well over £1 million dating back over 15 years in Stannington case. They were public land formerly used as public buildings and costing us a lot in security, whilst declining all the time.
I was determined that both would developed and one of my proudest achievements is the backing of both developments thereby releasing an unused state asset, providing much needed new housing and other benefits, without impacting on traditional unused virgin green belt.
I want a similar approach to the former Tynedale and castle Morpeth sites in my constituency, subject to the usual rules on consultation, planning and local views. Everyone in the Hexham constituency knows several buildings that have lain unused for years, quietly deteriorating at significant expense and nothing is done about them. The ball is in my local housing associations court.

In 2017 three things will happen:
- mayoral elections for the north east, with the significant changes this entails.
- a local authority that may failed to do a local plan will have its functions taken over by central government in order for such a plan to be produced under the housing act. Will Northumberland be finished by then?
- and local elections and I hope a fresh start as to the way in which Northumberland is run.
If you are interested in more detail their website is here:
http://www.homesforthenorth.co.uk

Ponteland Green Belt Planning Inquiry decision - the story of the campaign and background info

The green belt is an important protection against urban sprawl, providing a green lung around towns and cities. The national planning policy framework delivers the coalition government's agreement to safeguard the green belt. Inappropriate development should not be approved in the green belt, and boundaries should be altered only in exceptional circumstances.

The area of greenbelt land between Newcastle, which is encroaching ever closer to Northumberland and Ponteland / Darras Hall in Northumberland, is particularly important because this area stands as a barrier between the two areas; once it starts to go, and we lose the green belt, we would have a genuine urban sprawl with the expanding Newcastle and the built up green belt becoming the classic urban sprawl. 

Lugano wanted to build on the green belt. They say their plan for 280 houses on 82 hectares is an exceptional development. 
The only problem is that no one agrees with this assertion:
-         not the County Council’s Planning Committee,
-         the Neighbourhood Plan group,
-         the County Council’s existing planning policies
-         the County Council’s Local Plan
-         or the 4300 local objectors identifies Birney Hill as such a site
And that is why I maintained my strong objection.


The Blog from the Planning Inquiry this spring is here:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2015/01/my-submission-to-ponteland-greenbelt.html


My campaign in parliament is here:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/greenbelt-gets-voice-in-parliament.html


The background to this and the approach of the local and national Labour Party is here:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/the-weekend-read-labours-greenbelt.html


The land we are talking about:
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2013/09/a-long-walk-around-ponteland-green-belt.html

Pleased that Allendale has had its local plan approved - community involvement and local democracy at its best

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/north-east-analysis/analysis-news/allendale-becomes-first-north-east-8540163

Green Belt Public Inquiry report of day one. I will be appearing tomorrow

http://www.thejournal.co.uk/lugano-hits-out-council-opening-8438852

Local Plan Consultation meetings start Tuesday in Northumberland - go along or write in and make your views known

To their credit NCC are at least consulting on a new draft of their Local Plan which effects our greenbelt.
Comments need to be received by the Council no later than 11th February 2015. The Council is also running a series of drop-in Events which will include a small exhibition, and have planning officers present. The dates and times are below.
All consultation documents are available to view at www.northumberland.gov.uk/
Comments can be submitted online or by email: PlanningStrategy@northumberland.gov.uk

Stamp Duty savings will mean locals in Northumberland save several thousand pounds, and the rich pay more tax

If you’re buying a house, or thinking about it, there’s only one fact you need to know about the Autumn Statement: stamp duty is changing. Gone is the old system of thresholds, and instead it will be a percentage chunk of the value. 

So no tax will be paid on the first £125,000 of a property. Then it’s a lesser portion of tax up to £937,500 before increases in tax compared to the old system. The new regime is above. And you’ll note that this is also George Osborne’s answer to mansion tax – he’ll tax the purchase of multi-million pound properties a lot more.
And the distortion created by the old regime is shown in the graph below.

My thanks  to the Spectator for the graphs.

Green Belt Coverage and the Ponteland Green Belt AGM 16th May,7pm at the Memorial Hall

Good coverage of the Green Belt Campaign in this weeks Journal: http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/northumberland-greenbelt-fight-d-day-housing-7080651
The AGM is next Friday at the Pont Memorial Hall.

Prudhoe Hospital Meeting tomorrow night at 7pm - a key opportunity to have your say about the site's future

The Prudhoe Civic and Community Forum meeting will be held at 7pm on April 1 at Prudhoe Community Church. There will be a forum presentation and discussion on the future of the Prudhoe Hospital Walled Garden.

I have been working with many of the locals to try and make the case for retention of the walled garden and an assessmen of the site in general. This has involved meetings with key locals - the record of which is set out here, along with the key questions. My thanks to Robert Forsythe and all the team of enthusiasts for their efforts.
http://guyopperman.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/what-to-do-with-prudhoe-hospital-site.html

One of the activists is Dr Julia Cooper who told the Hexham courant recently that - “The forum meeting is a chance for people interested in the walled garden to come along and we can hear their ideas and gauge how much interest there is. We would like to put together a group to take on the garden. Hopefully at the meeting we’ll be able to identify who the key players are. We’re hoping people will come together in the town to work together.”
http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/prudhoe-plants-the-idea-of-a-community-garden-1.1125589

I urge anyone interested in the long term fate of the Prudhoe hospital site to go to tomorrow's meeting. I will be in Westminster but am sending along Pete, who works for me, to take notes and answer any questions.

Sale of Ponteland Police site undermines developers claims to need green belt

I am pleased to hear that land is being made available on a brown field site on the outskirts of Ponteland for housing. This can only undermine further the arguments of the developers who wish to build on the Ponteland Green Belt. Put simply we are addressing any housing need by brown field provision. Full story here from yesterdays paper, and in todays Journal, as well:
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/northumbria-police-confirms-plans-sell-6699154

Should Newcastle Council be allowed to build on the Ponteland Greenbelt?

“The green belt is a Labour achievement, and we intend to build on it,” is one of the great John  Prescottisms of all time.

Ed Miliband has adopted the same approach: in December, in a speech he gave on Monday December 16 in Stevenage, he said that the neighbouring North Hertfordshire Council’s objection to building on the green belt should be brushed aside. This is like Newcastle Council saying we want to build on Northumberland's green belt. In where? I don't know, Ponteland perhaps? But I believe he is wrong: these are decisions that should be made in Northumberland or N Hertfordshire, not by Mr Miliband, or by the neighbouring town.

In response, the very robust Communities and Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles said:
“Under Labour, housebuilding fell to its lowest peacetime rate since the 1920s. Their top-down Regional Strategies and eco-towns failed hardworking families who aspired to own their own home, building nothing but resentment.

“That’s why we have worked with local communities to help build more homes, scrapping Regional Strategies and rewarding construction via the New Homes Bonus. We are helping hardworking people up the housing ladder through Help to Buy and the reinvigorated Right to Buy. Both first time buyers and housing construction have risen to their highest level since 2007, whilst repossessions have plummeted thanks to the lower interest rates from our long term economic plan.

Labour’s policy shows this is the same old Labour party. They would allow Labour councils to forcibly rip up Green Belt protection in neighbouring councils. While their new tax on planning permission would reduce housebuilding and discourage regeneration schemes. We know there is more to do to help build homes. But this must be done by working with hardworking families in
communities across Britain, allowing councils to shape where development should and shouldn’t go via Local Plans, and safeguarding important environmental protections.”

It’s not just Mr Pickles attacking Labour on housing. The Labour MP, and former Housing Minister, John Healey is joining in. He says Labour is “preoccupied elsewhere” when it comes to making housing more affordable.

My only comment is that it is bad enough that Northumberland County Council is trying to build on our green belt. At least we have a democractic say, and a chance to influence the local authority. Under Miliband's plan, released in Stevenage before Christmas, it would be the neighbouring council that decided if we had building on our green belt. Of course, this means that my residents inNorthumberland would have no chance to object or disagree if this is what Newcastle or Miliband wants to happen. This is not socialism: it's borderline madness!

Proud to support ISOS Housing development - Grand Designs in action

In a week when we have successfully opposed the wrong sort of housing project [Birney Hill Green Belt] I wanted to write about a local housing project I was delighted to back.
If you go to Trinity Court in Corbridge you will see this beautiful building, built on a brown field site, providing everyhtoing that local people could possibly want. I opened it 3 weeks ago and the full report is here: http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk/news/corbridge-trinity-court-is-a-grand-design-for-the-elderly-says-mp-1.1093029

It cost £2.1million and the three-storey scheme has 16 flats, with 10 for rent and six available to buy on a shared equity basis.I said at the ime and I will make the point again: the design was superb. Indeed I expected Kevin McCloud, of Grand Designs, to pop out at any moment.
The new building has been specifically designed to keep residents’ living costs down. I spoke to many of the residents and it is a special building, sensitively done, by good local architects.
Everyone involved should feel very proud, and I have made the point to ISOS that we want to see more of such projects locally.

Housing - our next big problem

A good article in todays Telegraph on the housing crisis - click here
Housing is our big problem in Tynedale. Had a really good housing summit last week but more needs to be done