Government homes plan:‘too many, not planned, inflexible and infrastructure not funded’ says District Council

Residents are being urged to have their say on the location of many more new homes which the Government is saying must be built in Three Rivers. The East of England Plan, which was finally published on Monday, 12 May, has set a target of 4,000 new homes to be built in the district over the next 13 years.

The District Council has joined the East of England Regional Assembly (EERA) and Hertfordshire County Council in calling on the Government for more action to support the building of these new homes.

Three Rivers District Council’s Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Martin Trevett, said:

“This confirms our worst fears. Not only has the number of houses for Three Rivers been set too high, but there are no plans to strengthen the infrastructure to cope with more people living in the district. Money must be provided by the Government at the outset for key facilities like schools, hospitals and roads.

"We are working hard to find a way of providing these homes in a sustainable way while protecting the Green Belt. It’s going to be tough, but we will do our best to keep any impact on the countryside and our quality of life to an absolute minimum.

"I urge all residents to keep in touch and have their say on our consultation on the possible location of new homes in the district. We have a duty to all work together to make the best of a challenging situation."

Residents can receive updates on the consultation process and have the chance to respond, by sending an email containing their postcode to trldf@threerivers.gov.uk  or by post, by ringing 01923 776611 (minicom 01923 727 303).

Residents can also receive updates at their Local Area Forums.

Copies of the East of England Plan are available by ringing 01284 728151.

Three Rivers District Council was recognised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England as being among the top 5% of Councils for building on previously developed land.