Lorely Listens

7.11.30pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 28th Jul 2005

'Hi Lorely, Whip's Office here. Y'know you came third in the ballot to present a 10 minute Rule Bill?'

'Yes'

'Well a Bill tabled for next week has been withdrawn. And knowing how keen you are to get your Bill going, your two colleagues have kindly offered to let you go first'

'Wow!'

'There's just one catch. It's next Tuesday: you have 6 days to get it ready!'

I had to go for it. Having promised before the election I'd bring in a Bill on planning and protecting parkland, I couldn't look that gift horse in the mouth, could I?

So by the time you read this, the snazzily entitled 'Lorely Burt: Local Government and Planning (Parkland and Windfall Development) Bill' will really exist. I have 10 minutes to present the Bill then it goes for debate in the Autumn. Whether it gets any further will depend on Parliamentary procedures when the Bill comes back before the House in the Autumn.

So what's in it? Well parkland and public green space would be protected by giving local communities management control of it: effectively making it common land and not able to be sold or developed without local permission.

Windfall developments will be tackled in two ways: firstly by amending planning guidance rules so that gardens will no longer count as brownfield sites. (Have you ever seen a brown garden?) This will mean developers have to develop true brownfield sites before they can touch people's back gardens.

Secondly, residents would have the right to appeal to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister against granting of planning permission which contravenes the local plan.

Blighting of communities by constant planning re-applications would be tackled by a '3 strikes and you're out' rule whereby after 3 applications had been turned down local people would be given a rest from further applications for 3 years.

And finally trees would be protected from developers who fell them before making their planning application to erase a possible objection. Trees in conservation areas are already protected: this Bill would give similar protection to ALL trees over a certain height and age in urban areas.

These are the key issues in planning you have been telling me about. I'm immensely proud to have been able to present a Bill to address them in my first term at the new school of Parliament. You can read the full text of my speech in Hansard for Tuesday 19th July (www.parliament.uk) or it's on the local Lib Dem website www.solihull-libdems.org.uk.