Swindon MP calls for house builders to pay up first. North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson today put forward a 10 minute rule bill in Parliament which would see developers depositing money before they build new homes. Details at www.swindonlink.com
Swindon MP calls for house builders to pay up first
27th October 2010 by Roger Ogle
North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson is campaigning for a new law which expects developers to deposit money in a council fund before they build new homes.
In presenting his Developer Bond bill under the ten minute rule bill in the House of Commons on 27 October, Justin spoke of the problems of getting house builders to complete their developments after people have moved in. He told other MPs of his personal experience of Swindon Council trying to get builders to finish off work.
Before the debate he told swindonlink.com "as a councillor in North Swindon for ten years the largest aspect of my caseload was following up residents' complaints about the areas they lived in.
"Most developers see the need to get the roads and the landscaping finished, to clear up the mess and make the area ready for adoption by the local authority. However other developers for some reason do little to complete the work and seem happy to wait years before their area is finished to an acceptable standard.
"In the meantime residents are frustrated by overgrown verges and manhole covers proud of the tarmac and complain to local councillors who are in turn frustrated that the local authority does not have the power to enforce completion works on pain of financial penalty. Some areas like Ash Brake have been blighted over about 15 years which is totally unacceptable. It's a discrepancy that needs to be rectified.
"The developer bond will become part of the planning system whereby a house builder deposits money in a fund which they will get back if the house development is completed within an acceptable time frame. If street-scene works are required and the builder does not undertake them, the local authority will then have power to do the work against the money on deposit. This will incentivise developers to make the effort to deliver on the promises described in their sales brochures to the people who buy their houses."
In describing his bill, Justin name-checked the Redhouse Residents' Association for identifying parts of North Swindon in need of completion and their work to chase the local authority and developers, and also the practical action they undertake to clear up litter and graffiti.
The first reading of the bill was agreed and Friday 17 June 2011 was set for a second reading.
justin tomlinson mp, developer bond, house of commons, redhouse residents association, ashbrake
