Archive - Thursday, 21 February 2002


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Councillors fight for low-cost housing

TWO Fairford councillors have vowed to fight a government ruling which is preventing more low-cost housing being built in the town.

District councillors Martin Harwood and Freda Lang say more affordable housing is desperately needed to keep young people in Fairford.

But they say a government directive is preventing new starter homes being built.

It bans the development of greenfield land for affordable housing in towns with a population exceeding 3,000, like Fairford.

Because of the ruling, Cotswold District Council has only been able to include brownfield sites in Fairford in its latest review of housing provision.

The council earmarked four sites, big enough for around 50 homes, earlier this month as part of a district-wide assessment of new housing.

Cllr Harwood believes only one or two plots have any real chance of becoming available in the next decade, yielding less than 20 new properties.

He claims at least 30 low-cost homes are needed within the next 15 years.

"We need the houses to allow the town to expand and to support existing services," he said. "The town is being unfairly disadvantaged by the government directive, and I think we should take this right to the top."

Cllr Harwood suggested one way of overcoming the ruling would be to remove Fairford's neighbouring village of Horcot from the town boundary.

This would bring Fairford's population below the 3,000 mark, and allow greenfield sites to be developed.

Councillors are due to revise their district plan in the summer, and Cllr Harwood is hoping they will find a way of bypassing the ruling.

Otherwise he will be urging Fairford residents to back him and Cllr Lang in calling for a public inquiry.

Chris Vickery, CDC's forward planning manager, said: "As far as we are concerned, we are doing everything we can for all our towns and villages within the guidelines we are obliged to follow.

"The problem in Fairford is that it is too big to be considered for greenfield housing, but it is not big enough for open market housing either."