Green belt around Guildford 'at risk of deletion'

Labour said Tory councils were stopping house building in towns

Claims that Labour intend to "delete" areas of the green belt near Guildford have come from the Tory party, sparking a row about housing in the Surrey town.

The Tories claimed a report by Labour MPs on 7 April had called for "selective reviews of the green belt".

But Labour candidate Tim Shand said the green belt was at risk because of Tory councils stopping building in towns.

Guildford's Tory and Lib Dem candidates said they wanted to keep the green belt and see housing decisions made locally.

According to the Conservative Party, the Labour-dominated South East Regional Select Committee published a report on housing shortly before parliament was dissolved.

The party quoted part of the report which said: "Selective reviews of green belts are proposed to facilitate development, including North and East of Guildford and South of Oxford."

'Housing crisis'

Conservative candidate Anne Milton said: "Of course we want and need more affordable housing, but we must make sure housing decisions are made locally, and that the green belt remains."

She also called for councils to be rewarded for building more homes and promoting economic growth.

Liberal Democrat candidate Sue Doughty said she protested alongside Ms Milton against the South East Plan, which set out house-building targets for the region under a 20-year development strategy.

She added: "I don't want to see any building on the greenbelt.

We don't need any more five and six-bedroom homes in Guildford Tim Shand

"I do dispute the figures. It's very predict and provide.

"We have got to start with numbers on council housing lists instead of the numbers that government has just dreamed up."

Mr Shand said Guildford was in the grip of a "housing crisis" with a council waiting list of more than 2,000 high priority cases.

He said: "The real danger to the green belt comes because of Tory councils across the region stopping house building in towns.

"This has happened repeatedly in Guildford, as Tory (and Lib Dem) councillors on the borough council have tried to change planning rules to protect 'large houses in large gardens', opposed schemes to replace large houses with several smaller ones, and opposed proposals to build more smaller homes."

He added: "We don't need any more five and six-bedroom homes in Guildford, we need two and three-bedroom affordable family homes. If Tory-dominated planning committees continue to block house building in towns, that endangers the green belt."

Candidates so far announced in Guildford include: Liberal Democrat: Sue Doughty; UK Independence Party: Mazhar Manzoor; Conservative: Anne Milton; The Peace Party: John Morris; Labour: Tim Shand