RSS scrapped - a good news story!

The Regional Spatial Strategy - agreed by the last Labour Government - is abolished today. This is a good news story for Morley as the figures proposed within the RSS have been an albatross around our necks as we battled to retain  Morley Greenfield sites such as Daisy Hill.

Indeed the RSS figures were behind the Leeds City Council decision to stop fighting appeals against developer's lodging applications on Greenfield sites across Leeds. This was a flawed decision because the figures they proposed of over 3500 new housing units was always unrealistic and could only be delivered by building on Greenfield sites. This meant developer's avoided regenerating Brownfield sites as they flocked towards Greenfield ones as the City Council failed to have the backbone to do anything about it!

As it stands today there are no RSS figures and the questionable targets proposed by LCC of over 70,000 new homes - with 7000 plus coming to Morley - has no legal significance as the Plan has not been through a public examination yet.

This means we should have new hope for keeping Morley's Greenfield sites green. We will direct Developers to the 22,000 planning permissions already granted for housing on mainly Brownfield sites across Leeds along with the 10,000 plus homes empty across the city which need to be brought back into use. That's over 32,000 homes which at a completion rate of 2000 a year will mean we have enough land supply for housing to cover us until 2028.

In the finals analysis we have an option to hold on to most of Morley's Greenfield sites and focus development on Brownfield ones. The question is will Labour exercise this option?

Morley School Numbers Crisis

New figures released to the MBI group by Education Chiefs on Leeds City Council show that all Morley Primary and Secondary Schools will be full by 2016. This is based on projections of actual births and children who already live in the Morley area.

What do these figures mean? They mean that new developments - such as Daisy Hill and Bruntcliffe Road - will generate so many additional children for primary and secondary schools that they will be overwhelmed and unable to cope!

Presently all of Morley primary schools are two form entries apart from Asquith Primary and St Frances. Both Asquith and St Frances are proposed to be extended (by an additional 30 places at Asquith and by 8 up to 30 at St Frances.) Newlands goes to a three form entry when the new school (delivered by an MBI campaign) is built in 2014. Even with those schools expanded there will be 420 available school places and 427 children presently in the system by 2016. If you add an additional 100 to 150 kids from new developments from Daisy Hill and Bruntcliffe then it doesn't take a mathematical genius to see that there is no room available for these additional children.

Indeed at a meeting this week Education Chiefs confirmed that there is no other Primary school in Morley than can be expanded for these additional children. Morley is indeed full up!

Labour continue to bang additional housing burdens on Morley as they force through Daisy Hill and Bruntcliffe Road against substantial local opposition. They seem to like to play the game of Buckaroo - the game I played as a kid - when you keep loading a mule bit by bit until it bucks off the whole lot. That's what Labour does in Morley. It adds additional burdens to creaking infrastructure and doesn't give a toss if it can cope as long as they protect Labour areas from similar problems.

We will use this new information to campaign against future large scale housing developments. We will see if Labour will now listen to good sense - but don't hold your breath!

Expansion of Morley Town Council?

A review of Town and Parish Councils in Leeds is to go ahead which could see the expansion of Morley Town Council. This is good news for the democratic process and will bring decision making down to a more local level as it does in Morley, Drighlington and Gildersome.

There is little doubt that the Councils in these areas have delivered real improvements with more policing and lower crime rates along with firmer planning scrutiny and support for local community groups. I am regularly asked by people outside the Town Council area, such as Tingley and East and West Ardsley what they can due to join the Town Council and be supported by councillors backing their communities rather than the Party Line.

Its clear that when it comes to campaigning - such as against the LDF, for better bus services or to Keep Morley Fire Station open that residents expect the Town Council and its councillors to support their concerns on these issues.

This review will give residents the opportunity to join a vibrant Council which puts their concerns the top of their agenda. I hope communities will get involved and join with us to expand the Town Council to cover the full Morley Borough Council area.

Newlands Primary School moves forward

I was delighted to formally move the resolution to grant planning permission for the new three form entry school at Newlands Primary at last weeks Plans Panel - a project bringing over £10 million investment to this part of Morley.

The delivery of this new school has been a campaign we have been running for many years. We believe we started the work in 2004 as we were horrified at the poor state of the present building and associated portacabins. Some of the temporary classrooms have been in since the 1970s when West Yorkshire County Council ran education and a local planner confirmed at last weeks meeting that they had over 10 planning applications over the years for temporary classrooms.

There in no doubt the local community and the wider school family deserve this new build scheme and their patience has been fabulous under very difficult circumstances. It is perhaps interesting to note that Labours Flagship - Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme failed to bring a penny of new investment to any of Morley's primary or secondary schools. Our campaign has successfully convinced the powers that be that financing the new school was inevitable.

I wish the new Newlands School every success. This investment has been a long time coming but I am sure parents and teachers alike will believe it was worth waiting for!