Local Plan - Government demands for extra housing

Derbyshire Dales: Our hands are tied — but we're fighting for you

Derbyshire Dales District Council is drawing up a new Local Plan - the legally-required document that determines where homes, jobs and services go until the early 2040s. And the situation is serious.

Labour ministers are demanding we double the number of new homes in the Dales. If the council doesn't comply, a government-appointed inspector can throw out our plan. But if it’s rejected or we fail to produce one at all, developers would get a free pass to build wherever they like, with almost no local say.

This nightmare is being imposed on us from Westminster, despite clear evidence that our roads, schools, GPs and our sewage infrastructure are already struggling to cope with our population. The one-size-fits-all national target overrides our local reality.

To be blunt, if Liberal Democrat councillors don't engage with this process, however uncomfortable, the outcome for residents could be far worse. We are fighting to make the best of a bad situation forced upon us.

We are urging residents to make their voices heard directly to John Whitby, our Labour MP. Time is running out.

One piece of better news is that the Lib Dem-led council doubled council tax on second homes last year. The number of second homes has already fallen over 10% and holiday lets have fallen by nearly 5%. There are early signs house price rises may be slowing, which is good news for local house buyers, although the Dales still has the largest income-to-house-price gap in the East Midlands.

Lib Dems will keep fighting for residents in Ashbourne, Darley Dale, Matlock and across the Dales. But under this imposed system, the choices ahead will be tough.