James Heappey MP intervened in a debate on Neighbourhood Planning last week.
Mr Heappey said: “I intervened a couple of times in the debate on Neighbourhood Planning. There’s no doubt we need more houses and they need to be properties that people can afford. In my first intervention, my colleague Heidi Allen was giving a great speech on the need for accessible housing so I encouraged her to also consider the energy efficiency of a property so that it was affordable as well as accessible.”
He continued: “In my second intervention, I was disagreeing with some of my colleagues who want to keep strong protections for the greenbelts around cities and large towns. In Somerset, we’re seeing a lot of housing demand pushed southwards from Bristol and Bath because the green belt in North Somerset and BANES is restricting the amount that can be built north of the Mendips. I think we need to be more sensible about building on the Bristol and Bath greenbelt so that Somerset doesn’t end up having to pick up all the slack.”
Speaking during the debate, James said: “My hon. Friend describes a situation that I am sure we all recognise well. In my experience, many local communities engage positively with their neighbourhood and local plans to identify the housing need in their area, and then plan accordingly.”
“My hon. Friend is making an important point about the affordability and accessibility of a property in which people are to live. Will she include the energy efficiency of homes in what she is encouraging developers and local authorities to consider so that elderly people can live in homes that are warm as well as accessible?”