Conservative councillors last night voted to begin consulting residents across Welwyn Hatfield on their views regarding the sites included in the current draft of the Local Plan.
By taking the step to begin consulting residents and keeping the process alive, the likelihood of a "Planning Free-For-All" caused by failing to agree a Local Plan decreases.
This is the latest in the Conservatives' sequence of moves aimed at working towards a Local Plan which keeps development out of Green Belt areas as much as possible, whilst also minimising density in urban areas.
Labour councillors grouped together to vote against the Conservatives. Similarly, the majority of a fractured Lib Dem group continued to play political games with the Local Plan process. Most of their councillors present at the meeting, including their Leader, failed to support the plan.
This display of prioritising politics over what's best for Welwyn Hatfield is typical of their approach to local matters; in a recent Planning meeting, a Lib Dem councillor laid their Party's philosophy bare for all to see by saying: "We're the opposition; we're supposed to disagree with you".
It is disappointing the majority of Labour and Lib Dem councillors decided not to take this opportunity to do the best thing for Welwyn Hatfield, instead choosing an approach which puts their need to manipulate the process for political gain first.
Conservative Leader Councillor Tony Kingsbury said of the vote: "By moving to consult with residents on the sites currently included in the Local Plan, we are advancing the process by just enough to continue to stave off the possibility we'll have our Planning decisions taken from us.
"We are not in favour of these Green Belt sites recently added to the plan, but it seems the Government will soon change the law to allow us to take more control of this process. At that point, we will work for the best plan which keeps brownfield development sensible, while keeping more development out of Green Belt land.
"In the meantime, I would encourage anyone with a strong view on these sites to engage with the consultation when it comes around, and make your feelings known.
"Labour and the majority of Lib Dems present at the meeting demonstrated how fixated they are on using the Local Plan for their own political manoeuvring to get you to vote for them. Meanwhile, the Conservative group I lead has again taken charge and put progress before politics."
