Supplementary memorandum by CPRE Warrington
(NT 04(a))
CPRE Warrington welcomes the DTLR Press Release
it seems to recognise and address the issue of English Partnerships
continuing role in the development of Warrington we raised in
our original submission to the Select Committee.
CPRE Warrington particularly supports the "transfer
of their non strategic Commission for the New Towns (CNT) landholdings
to the most appropriate bodies, for example local authorities."
We would however need a clear definition of
"non-strategic" and also a definitive statement on how
land transfer would be affected before fully endorsing it.
We believe that any land should be transferred
to the local authority providing direct accountability to the
community and ensuring that decisions taken will support the Local
Development Plan(s).
It should not be transferred to any organisation
that has very limited objectives and priorities, for example a
Regional Development Agency or similar. This type of arrangement
does not work, providing conflict with local authority priorities
and town planning governance, as is currently the case with the
English Partnerships arrangements.
Any land transfer to the local authority should
be without liability. As we identified in our original submission
there are ongoing costs intrinsic to the New Town design that
are substantially more than would normally be encountered. Any
additional liability costs would invariably have to be met by
the sale of some, or all, of the transferred land, leading to
an unacceptable development "free for all".
CPRE Warrington views the refocusing of English
Partnerships on brownfield site development as a positive move.
The organisation should develop an understanding and expertise
in this area, which will be of benefit to local authorities finding
it difficult to support the requirements of PPG3 and with considerable
industrially polluted areas, for example Halton. Any initiative
that supports the reuse of brownfield sites before greenfield
development is welcomed by CPRE Warrington.
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