Councillor Nigel Porter comments on the opening of the Draft Local Plan for Leicester.
As the Draft Local Plan for Leicester opened today, Opposition Party leader, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Aylestone Ward, Cllr Nigel Porter had this to say:
It's unfair and unreasonable to carry out this major public consultation when we're probably on the verge of another major public health crisis.
The council are now starting a major public consultation when the BMA has stated that over 80% of doctors think we're on the verge of a second peak in coronavirus infections and new measures are coming into force placing restrictions on people gathering.
The local plan could see significant changes in the city and will affect everybody. So it's important people are properly able to engage in any major public consultation process and are able to fully understand what plans are being put forward so they are in a position to properly object.
The council has too much control over people's lives already and conducting a major consultation when a large number of people will be unable to properly participate is completely outrageous and contrary to the laws around a proper public consultation.
The labour council just don't seem to realise that we need to protect our green spaces, not bulldoze them and stick more concrete on top of them. Plus the government has announced proposals for new housing developments which could see Leicester having a significant reduction in its housing requirement -(down by over 30%) - meaning that we could save many of the green spaces in Leicester from being concreted over by the Labour led council.
In my own ward of Aylestone the Labour council want to concrete over a children's play area, the green spaces and the BMX track by the Great Central Way, absolutely ridiculous.
We need to protect the green spaces in this city because once our green fields are lost to development then they're gone forever.
It's really important that we protect our green spaces from the destructive Labour council and that cannot be done if a major public consultation is not conducted in the proper and appropriate fashion.