Shailesh Vara on Castor and Ailsworth housing proposal at PMQs

Shailesh Vara addresses issue of a 7,000-home proposal near Castor and Ailsworth at Prime Minister's Questions

Transcript

00:00 >>Shaleesh Marra (Ayr, Ayrshire) (Con): A few years ago, there was a proposal to build

00:06 nearly 7,000 houses in a beautiful part of my constituency near the villages of Castor

00:12 and Aylesworth, against the wishes of the local residents. I worked with the local community,

00:19 and together we were able to stop this development. However, efforts are now being made to include

00:25 this land in a revised Peterborough local plan. Does the Prime Minister agree that it

00:32 is very important that the voice of the local community is heard and that it is unacceptable

00:39 that developments can take place in this circuitous way, especially when there is other, more

00:45 suitable land available in and around the city of Peterborough?

00:48 >>The Prime Minister My hon. Friend raises an important issue.

00:53 He is right that the local community should always have their voice heard. It is important

00:58 that councils bring forward local plans, but this must be done in close consultation with

01:03 local communities, because their voices matter. As I understand it, the Peterborough local

01:07 plan is still under preparation, and there are opportunities to provide comments on the

01:12 draft plan. I encourage and commend my hon. Friend for continuing to support his local

01:18 community to make sure that their voice is heard.