Date: 7th June 2006
Released by: ANDREW TURNER

The Island’s MP has welcomed a report from the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee that condemns Government plans to build a million new homes in the South East as ‘muddled’ and said that the Government had ‘failed to consider the water management implications of their house building plans at an early enough stage’. The report followed a thorough and rigorous five month investigation into water management. Andrew Turner said that the report represented a significant and sensible contribution to the debate and illustrated the deep flaws in the Government’s plan to concrete over our countryside.

He said

“The former Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has been compared to a pantomime horse – when you hear of the basic errors made in projections of future demand for water that seems an understatement! I shall be writing to the South East Regional Assembly (SEERA) who are responsible for implementing these plans to ask how this report will affect their proposals.”

Mr Turner has been a long term critic of the plans which include up to 27,000 new homes on the Island agreed by the former Island First council but fiercely opposed by the new administration at County Hall.

He went on to say

“It is madness for Government to plan all these new houses in the most over-populated area of the country while at the same time using tax-payers’ money to demolish perfectly good homes in the North.

“If the Government insists on these levels of house-building they should at least give local councils power to enforce strict planning conditions on water recycling and energy sustainability.

“They also need to recognise that international migration alone means we need a new town the size of Slough to be built every two years, and cut the out-of-control immigration which they have so enthusiastically promoted.”

END

Contact: Andrew Turner 01983 530808