A North Somerset action group has backed Weston MP John Penrose’s proposal to tackle the housing crisis in rural areas of the country.
Mr Penrose believes the key to solving the housing crisis is to ‘build up, not out’ – increasing density in urban areas and limiting the development of greenfield sites.
In his blog, Mr Penrose wrote: “The way to solve the housing crisis is to reduce planning restrictions on urban property owners, allowing them to build up to the level of other buildings in the same block.”
Mr Penrose believes the policy change would reduce house prices and ease pressure on green-field land.
The MP has received backing from Churchill and Langford Residents’ Action Group (CALRAG). Its spokesman John Whitewood told the Mercury: “We have held meetings with John Penrose and we fully support his plans to build up.
“Hopefully common sense will prevail and (North Somerset Council leader) Nigel Ashton and the West of England’s crazy ‘garden village’ Joint Spatial Plan will be ditched.”