The debate was part of Bob’s campaign for putting the
Island first, providing affordable housing for Islanders, in
appropriate numbers, locally built, in existing communities,
near services, whilst protecting the landscape critical to our
quality of life and visitor economy.
Bob said flaws in the Government’s housing algorithm that
would blight the Island would be replicated across the shire
counties and at the same time reduce new housing in urbanised
areas in the North and Midlands where it was really
needed.
Bob’s view gained all-party support with high profile
speakers against the Government housing proposals including
former Prime Minister .
His speech followed the release last month of Bob’s own
vision for how new housing on the Island should be delivered –
on brownfield sites in all but exceptional circumstances and
based on local need.
Bob said: “We all agree, the market is failing first-time
buyers. The answer is not greenfield sprawl, but a new
generation of community-based, affordable housing accompanied
by rent-to-buy schemes accessible for first-time buyers in
existing communities in cities, suburbs and
countryside.”
Opening the debate on Thursday, Bob said he wanted the
Government’s levelling up agenda to include comprehensive plans
for infrastructure, jobs and houses to revive overlooked
Northern and Midland towns – not to continue the endless drift
of jobs and opportunities to the shires and the South.
Mr Seely said: “Since 1960, the population of our
beautiful small Island has grown by 50%. The message from many
parts of Britain is that we have been doing our bit for decades
and levelling up is about other people now doing theirs. The
new standard methodology simply does not make sense for the
Island.”
He said the current and new housing targets for the
Island were unachievable and had nothing to do with the
Island’s needs and would facilitate more housing for the
mainland retirement market, not Islanders who needed
them.
He said the Island’s own projected population growth was
minus 11,000, therefore all the Island’s population growth
would come from age 65+ locals and retirees.
He said: “If the Minister wishes to build for young
Islanders, I will show him where and how to build, and I will
tell him what we need.”
Mr Seely suggested a number of new approaches the
Government could adopt with regard to its housing agenda moving
forward which included VAT on greenfield sites, financial
incentives for brownfield sites and a tightening of the rules
around foreign buyers who leave property empty.
Speaking during the debate, , said: “We
need to reform the planning system. We need to ensure that that
planning system sees the right number of homes being built in
the right places. But we will not do that by removing local
democracy, cutting the number of affordable homes that are
built and building over rural areas. Yet that is exactly what
these reforms will lead to.
“The Government need to think again, and they need to
understand the impact that their proposals will have throughout
the country - an impact that my honourable friend the Member
for Isle of Wight so ably set out.”
Mr Seely called on the Government to allow MPs to help
shape the Government’s housing policy.
In response, Housing Minister, , said
he would ‘reflect carefully’ on what he had heard.
