Campaigners from the community action group Save Mirfield were among the delegates and speakers at a national conference held to discuss NIMBYism in the UK.
The event, presented by Community Voice on Planning (CoVoP) and headlined: “NIMBY, reality or slur?”, took place in Leeds and attracted delegates from across the UK. They included Kirklees Community Action Network and Save Mirfield.
Speakers included representatives from the Campaign for Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and the Town and Country Planning Association. Dewsbury and Mirfield MP Paula Sherriff and Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney joined Parliamentary colleague Greg Mulholland (Leeds North West) to answer questions on community involvement in the planning process.
One key discussion point was the perception that Parliament tends to ignore people’s view until an election is pending. Other topics for debate included loss of green belt and land banking, in which undeveloped land is bought with the intention of selling it on at inflated prices.
Chairman of Save Mirfield, Cheryl Tyler, said: said “Over the whole country there is a real problem with land banking. This puts up land prices and reduces the number of homes actually built. What happens then is more land is required and so the cycle continues.”
