Speaking in the Planning (Enforcement) Bill, Saqib Bhatti, Member of Parliament for Meriden defended his constituents against the “unscrupulous developers and immoral people” who “abuse” the planning system to unfairly build developments on Green Belt land in his Meriden constituency.
The Planning (Enforcement) Bill creates offences relating to repeat breaches of planning controls, makes provision about penalties for planning offences and establishes a national register of persons who have committed planning offences or breached planning controls.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Saqib said:
“My constituency has immense pressures on its Green Belt spaces because of the need for extra housing. I have HS2 going through my constituency and that puts added pressures on my constituency and I have other applications such as Motorway Service Stations … it is incredibly frustrating at times when we feel as though we do not have the powers at hand to deal with these situations.
“I should commend my [Conservative] Council who are determined to do everything they can to protect our green spaces including the commitment to plant a quarter of a million trees alongside their other environmental ambitions.
“What I will say to those unscrupulous developers and immoral people who abuse our planning system - as they can see if they are watching this debate today - we are coming for you.”
