"BY the time we get this Local Plan in operation, there will be no building land left."
That was the stark warning from Humberston parish councillor Harry Hall, lamenting the fact that North East Lincolnshire's new Local Plan will not be ready until 2017.
Speaking at a meeting of the town and parish councils liaison committee, Mr Hall described how villages in the borough were being "absolutely ruined" by big building projects, which the local authority was powerless to stop because it didn't have an up to date Local Plan.
He cited the example of his own village Humberston, which he said had recently had 1,200 houses "hoisted" on it.
His comments were backed by Councillor George Baker, from New Waltham Parish Council, who said developers could "play how they like" in the absence of an up to date Local Plan.
He said: "We have a developer that wants to come in and build hundreds of houses at Tollbar. They were quite open about the fact they were doing this because the council doesn't have a Local Plan and it can't stop them.
"Our clerk is trying to find out whether the installation of a village Local Plan would have any weight in law. It would seem that until something gets on the statute book the developers can play how they like."
Councillor Jean Keyworth, from Habrough Parish Council, also questioned the need for these new developments.
"We have got empty houses in our village and they are not selling. Why do we need anymore? There are tonnes of empty homes and they are just not selling."
The comments come just a week after two Conservative councillors "called in" the decision by the council's Labour cabinet not to accelerate the preparation of the new Local Plan.
Philip Jackson and John Fenty said such action was needed to prevent the "decimation of greenfield sites on the southern arc of North East Lincolnshire".
However, the authority insists that preparing a new Local Plan is "a lengthy and complex process" and that the implications of getting it wrong could be costly.
Responding to Mr Hall's comments, Mark Cawood, planning and building control manager for council partner Cofely, said: "That is a perception out there in the wider public. That perception is entirely wrong in my view. Even with a Local Plan in place, developers will still come forward."
Mr Cawood added that a consultation event with "select groups" such as the town and parish councils liaison committee would take place later this year, ahead of a wider public consultation on the new Local Plan.
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