LABOUR councillors in Bury are renewing calls for a united front against the Government’s Developers’ Charter as new polling reveals 80 per cent oppose plans to prevent local people from having a say over new developments in our community.

The calls comes as Labour works towards securing a unanimous statement from the Council in opposition to Government plans through a motion at the next full council meeting on July 28.

The planning reforms, unveiled last year, aim to tear up the existing system and replace it with one based on local design codes and ‘automatic’ consent in areas earmarked for development.

Under the proposals, local authorities would be required to divide local land into three categories: ‘growth areas’, ‘renewal areas’ and ‘protected areas’.

Housing Minister Robert Jenrick MP said the current planning system needed reforming as it "excludes local people" and is "hugely difficult" for ordinary people to navigate.

Cllr Kevin Peel, who is set to propose the motion, said: “The whole country is uniting against the dreadful plans to prevent local people from having a say over new developments in our communities. Now it’s time for local leaders to send a clear message – Bury says no to the Developers’ Charter.

“We have to build more homes but we have to do it the right way. Under this Conservative Government’s plans local people would have no right to a say over anything built in Bury from ugly and unsightly buildings to slums and bad developments over our treasured green spaces. That has to be wrong.

“It’s now time for councillors from all parties to back our message to government so Bury can stand together and defeat these outrageous proposals.”

According to a poll commissioned by the Conservative-led Local Government Association Eight in 10 residents want to be able to have their say on all new homes built in their local community. 82 per cent felt it was important to be able to comment on individual plans for all housing developments in their local area. Nearly half (49 per cent) said it was “very” important while a third (32 per cent) said “fairly” important.

Latest figures show more than 1.1m homes given planning permission over the past decade are yet to be built, and councils are approving nine in 10 planning applications. There is also land for more than 1m additional homes already allocated in Local Plans which developers have not yet brought forward to planning application stage.

Labour plans to pass a unifying motion at the next full council. Labour is hoping all councillors, whatever their party can support the declaration – showing a united front in Bury against the Developers’ Charter.