Mark Spencer, Member of Parliament for Sherwood has praised the Budget for championing Brownfield First measures in a bid to protect local green spaces.
Mr. Spencer, who is opposing a new settlement on Whyburn Farm, Hucknall, said that:
The Chancellor of the Exchequer has acknowledged the need for us to focus on building on Brownfield Land first.
We need to see more housing across the United Kingdom, so that our children and grandchildren can afford to own a home of their own. But there are so many brownfield sites that should be accessed and developed on before even thinking about turning our attention to green field or even Green Belt sites.
I am calling on all of our local Council's to look into the Brownfield Land Release Fund.
Only one of my Local authorities tapped into that fund- that being Newark and Sherwood who accessed £284,000 from the fund.
Despite setting out their emerging local plan, Ashfield District Council did not tap into the fund. This is a very frustrating piece of information- especially given the size of the development on Whyburn Farm. This development simply cannot go ahead.
The Government is doing all it can to promote Brownfield Development- it is up to local authorities to engage with us.
I would like to thank the Chancellor for this ambitious Budget that puts Brownfield Development at its heart.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak, MP also announced a new £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund. This will allow local authorities to create pocket parks of green spaces- allowing local residents to access local green spaces. The fund aims to create over 100 of these parks by the end of the 2022-23 financial year.
Mr Spencer said that:
The Levelling Up Parks Fund is great news. It is going to ensure that more communities have access to the open and local green spaces that we all cherish. I hope to see a few of these in our neck of the woods. Our Local Councils will hopefully get on board, and try and ensure that some local derelict land can be turned into a fantastic local asset.
