Thank you for contacting me about the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.
This legislation is an important step in reforming our planning system and will put local people and their preferences at the heart of development. I recognise that many people feel strongly about these issues which is why I led a campaign to see mandatory housing targets scrapped.
I completely agree with you about the importance of walking and cycling to the health and well-being of our communities. Both of these activities are popular on the Isle of Wight and I am keen to promote both. The National Planning Policy Framework already requires local planning authorities to consider these issues at the earliest stages when preparing their development plans. They are also material considerations in planning decisions.
Wider steps are being taken across government to improve walking and cycling provision. The transport decarbonisation plan promotes the principle of 20-minute neighbourhoods, while newly-created Active Travel England will act as a statutory consultee within the planning system. The Government is also updating the Manual for Streets, which places the needs of pedestrians and cyclists at the top of the hierarchy of street users.
I know that improving the health and well-being of our communities is something the Government considers with the utmost importance.
I teamed up with former environment minister Theresa Villiers to work up some amendments to the Bill to ensure the planning system was more community-led. These ideas gained the backing of around 100 Conservative MPs putting pressure on the government to act. I have consistently opposed plans for greenfield development on the Island arguing that brownfield sites should be prioritised over greenfield and that government-set housing targets should be advisory, not mandatory.
I am keen for the right homes to be built in the right location for Islanders and will continue to work hard for Island communities.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.