We ask the government to pause housebuilding targets and consult local communities to identify where substantial house building is needed, not where developers prefer to build. We worry about developers appealing rejected applications and councils and communities often having no funds for a defence.

We are concerned that villages are being overwhelmed by inappropriate planning applications from land banking developers despite the lack of employment, infrastructure, and services in rural areas – outdated water/sewage pipes, inadequate public transport, limited health services. We feel that local housing needs do not require high end houses nor anything like the numbers of houses proposed. In Mickleton, applications for hundreds of new houses have been submitted, representing a significant increase in village size. A local survey indicated a preference amongst many residents for accepting no more than 50 new homes over the next 5 years.