About Time To next get rid of Immigrants

Date:  13^th April 2012

Release:  Immediate

New traveller planning guidance welcomed

Gordon Henderson MP has welcomed the announcement by the Government that new planning guidance on traveller sites will be implemented following a consultation last year as part of the Localism Bill.

The new guidance, which replaces the old Labour planning circulars on travellers - Circular 01/06, will see a variety of changes including:

• Abolishing top-down regional targets.
• Strengthening the protection of Green Belt land and the open countryside.
• Deleting the compulsory purchase of land for traveller sites by local councils.
• Removing the restrictions on councils to use enforcement action.
• Providing suitable, authorised sites to councils for use as traveller sites.

Mr Henderson said:

"The previous Labour Government introduced a number of policies which were flawed, undermined local Government and damaged the planning system so I welcome this new guidance, which I hope will put an end to some of the abuses we have seen in so many of our local communities."

ENDS

Contact Information

Gordon Henderson - MP for Sittingbourne and Sheppey

House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA

Telephone: 0207 219 7144

Mobile: 07866 719923

Constituency Office

Top Floor, Unit 10 Periwinkle Court

Church Street, Milton Regis

Sittingbourne, Kent, ME10 2JZ

Telephone: 01795 423199