Anna Soubry latest email

Hello again,
I am sorry not to have been in touch considerably sooner; as you may know I had pneumonia in February and unfortunately it has decided to make a return visit. My thanks to the staff at Glenfield Hospital which specialises in respiratory illnesses. I had to cancel our holiday - but it did mean I was here on Thursday when we learnt that almost a thousand houses are due to be built on our Green Belt by the end of the year! Scroll on for more on that and a number of other matters.

My aim is to do a short email before the commemorations next weekend to mark the beginning of the First World War. In the meantime I have included some events in the diary but please email me with any I have left off!

As ever,
Anna

The Inspector has found in favour of Broxtowe Borough Council's plans to build over three thousands houses on our Green Belt. She found that two sites, Field Farm at Stapleford and the land at Toton (both designated Green Belt) should be developed immediately. 

Obviously I am disappointed but not at all surprised - it is worth remembering the Inspector backed the Council's target of 6,150 houses half way through the public inquiry. Mrs Kingaby is also the same Inspector who "advised" Rushcliffe Borough Council to add thousands of houses on Green Belt land to their plans before their public examination had even begun!

The Inspector also supported Broxtowe's plans for the land where the HS2 East Midlands hub is due to be built. These plans include a minimum of 500 houses and a woefully inadequate business park. I take the view that HS2 is about growth (i.e. jobs) not houses and is also about transport connectivity which the Council's plans scupper at Toton.

Beeston Rylands development
After a meeting with residents on Trent Vale I have written to the developers asking them to meet residents and work more closely with them. There are genuine concerns about the number of houses planned for South Road and the plans for the sports ground.
If you live in the Rylands and want to raise your views with the developers or want more details of what is planned please email me on [email protected]

I had a good meeting with Notts County Council about their plans to allow an Open Cast mine at Shortwood between Trowell and Cossall. My thanks to County Councillor Ken Rigby and Philip Owen who also attended. UK Coal is now in the process of selling off their open cast division.  Notts County Council have promised there will be rigorous negotiations with UK Coal to ensure they fulfil all their financial obligations, including a bond to make good the land once the extraction of coal and fire clay has finished.

I was assured that the Planning Committee's decision could be re-visited by the County Council if those negotiations or some other part of the permission was proving unworkable.
Finally, we all agreed to write to the Highways Agency asking them to reconsider the proposal to allow access to the M1 via Trowell services - thereby avoiding the inevitably dreadful and excessive HGV lorry movements up to Nuthall roundabout and on to the M1. I will make similar representations to the relevant Government ministers though I suspect this is a matter which can only be agreed by the Highways Agency.