Huge revisions to planning regulations could result in the annual number of houses built in North Lincolnshire nearly doubling. This may include using farmland for new homes and additional wind and solar schemes spreading across rural areas. North Lincolnshire Council is actively seeking feedback from residents on these proposals, and has launched an online questionnaire, while the authority's leader, Councillor Rob Waltham, has expressed concerns, saying the plans would "dilute protections" given to open countryside, and suggested the figure for the number of additional homes required in the area has been "plucked out of thin air".
READ MORE: Scunthorpe jewellers 'basking in the glory' as it beats nine other stores to be crowned the very best Keep up to date with all the latest breaking news and top stories from Scunthorpe with our free newsletter The proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system would see an increase in North Lincolnshire's required housing completions from 383 to 746 - an additional 363 homes a year. The consultation suggests, where housing numbers increase or decrease by 200 or more, Local Plans should be reviewed and put in place by December 2026. More details are available on the council's survey.
Cllr Waltham said: "These government proposals would see a radical change in the planning system and it is vital that local residents have their say. "In North Lincolnshire, we have proudly kept our promise to ensure infrastructure comes before any development, however, these proposals will compromise this commitment. "These proposals will also dilute the protection we can give our open countryside from inappropriate major developments not just housing but from wind farms and more solar installations where they are not wanted where residents have already expressed their concerns.
" "There is also no indication how and where the extra 300 plus homes a year would be built it seems like the figure has been plucked out of thin air." "The Government need to know local people's views on these major issues so I would urge people to look at the detail and fill in the survey on the council's website". When announcing the planning system overhaul, Angela Rayner, Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, wrote a letter to every council leader and chief executive in England, saying there is "not just a professional responsibility but a moral obligation to see more homes built".
She said: "Our decisive reforms to the planning system correct the errors of the past and set us on our way to tackling the housing crisis, delivering 1.5 million homes for those who really need them. “And something I am personally proud of, our new flexibilities for councils will boost the number of social and affordable homes, and give working families a better route to a secure home.
” The survey is open until Tuesday, September 10. The results will then be sent to the Government to consider..
