Labours LDF betrayal of Morley confirmed!

Labour Leeds Housing Plans for Morley

We backed a proposal for an early review of the 74,000 housing target proposed by Labour Leeds City Council in it Local Development Framework at a full council meeting last Wednesday.

The proposal, supported by the Morley Borough Independent, Conservative, Liberal Democrat and Green Party Councillors, would have seen an early review of the Development Plan to reduce the target down to 50,000 which would have saved many Greenfield sites from the threat of future housing development.

The 74,000 new houses target will overwhelm local schools, roads and health centres. This target is too high and will have a significant negative impact on local communities. Morley’s target of 7,400 new homes will see local families struggling to get their children into local schools and longer waiting times to see a GP at local health centres.

The Labour Administration used its majority to vote the Plan through despite all opposition parties coming together to propose an alternative reduced target.

This LDF plan is a Developers Charter which will allow house builders to rip up precious Morley Greenfield Sites such as Laneside Farm in Churwell and Spring Gardens in Drighlington. It will also give Developers the chance to avoid previously developed brownfield sites while they hover - like vultures - over Morley Greenfield sites. We will continue to campaign against this over development proposed for our communities.

Leeds City Council will start a process in 2015 that will identify the specific sites which will need to be developed to deliver the 74,000 target and will include a review of Greenbelt boundaries to accommodate this higher figure.

Labour – as ever the Developers friend – slavishly backed the 74,000 target giving backing to their mates in the House Building Industry to rip up Greenfield sites across Morley and beyond. Cllr Neil Dawson – a similar capitulator – offered nothing more than feeble words as his Labour Chums nailed the last nail in his election coffin next May. Morley Folk will not forget his duplicitous actions.

The type of housing we are offered in this plan is not affordable housing which will rehouse those on Morley’s Housing Waiting List but more Executive Style Housing. Local infrastructure cannot cope with this level of over development as local primary and secondary schools are full and Health centres packed. We will battle on through the site specific process next year to reduce the impact of this unachievable and unsustainable target foisted on us by Labour Leeds City Council.