Future Mole Valley – the Liberal Democrat Perspective

The somewhat flawed but very important first consultation process for the new Local Plan has concluded and the results are being analysed.

The consultation, based on the disputed requirement to build nearly 6,000 additional new houses, has, as expected, raised significant and controversial proposals and suggestions and the conclusions are awaited with great anticipation and concern.

Mole Valley Liberal Democrats have deliberately not sought to lead opinion on the proposals because of the importance of ensuring that everyone has the opportunity of freely expressing their views.

But our position remains clear with regard to our policies of protecting our market towns and rural environment from developers who would happily concrete over as large an area as possible to meet perceived housing need.

  • We maintain our opposition to developments in the Green Belt on land that continues to perform the function of Green Belt and our support for the significant protected conservation areas in our main town centres which would restrict or prevent major high rise development so that our heritage can be preserved.
  • We are deeply concerned about the possibility of any large scale development either in the Green Belt or beyond the Green Belt because of the potential loss of countryside and because our infrastructure of road and transport facilities is unable to cope with current demands let alone further significant development and we believe that the only time rural land should be released for development is in small scale plots for affordable housing for local residents where the proposed development is supported by the local community or for farm diversification to ensure our farms remain viable.
  • We need housing development but we also need a planning system that would allow the provision of affordable and small scale development where brownfield land is available for such development rather than the current restrictions which often militate against such developments.

As Liberal Democrats, we will be looking very carefully at the outcome of the consultation and will take account of what comes forward. We will, however, be very surprised if the outcome does not support these principles.

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