 The Wycombe District Council cabinet has stopped plans to explore the possibilities of putting up a new sports village.
Wycombe MP Steve Baker says this is a demonstration of localism at work, and hails the council for having made what he calls a sound decision.
Baker says local democracy has carried the day; protesters have made and won their case. He says this will go a long way in strengthening local freedoms and powers as promised by the government under the Localism Bill. For instance, government initiated property development in Buckinghamshire and the country at large will not be top-down government imposed; instead the councils will have the power to plan alongside financial incentives to facilitate building.
The MP says this signals to a future where those for and against any form of property development in Buckinghamshire will have to pay keen attention to the local government.
A happy Baker believes and hopes the Localism Bill will correct the ridiculous state of affairs which denied local councilors the chance to vote on key issues that are pertinent to their electorate. He says he has always been skeptical of any entrepreneurial initiatives by the governments including those aimed at some of form of property development in Buckinghamshire.
Concluding his thoughts, the MP said it would work best in the future if commercial projects such as property development in Buckinghamshire were presented for judgment under the planning process, with investors carrying all the direct financial risks plus rewards.. |