New figures published by Welwyn Hatfield Labour reveal that Conservative plans to end the existing right of communities to object to bad planning proposals would lead to around 900 proposals escaping local scrutiny in Welwyn Hatfield every year.

The research comes as LGA Labour analysis reveals that across the country, Conservatives have received an average of £27.50 in donations from developers for every planning decision they plan to take outside of the power of local communities. Under Boris Johnson, the Conservatives have received more than £11million in donations from developers. The Conservatives’ ‘Developers’ Charter’ would take an expected 400,000 planning applications taken each year outside the power of local communities.

Publishing the analysis, Steve Iwasyk Labour champion for Peartree said,

“This community belongs to the people of Welwyn Hatfield. The idea that wealthy developers should be able to come in and build what they want over the heads of local people with no right of appeal is an outrage.

“Just look at what is happening in Broadwater Road in Welwyn Garden City, if these plans go through this community won’t get to have any say over developments like this”

“Labour councillors have worked with local people to successfully oppose inappropriate developments like turning homes into houses of multiple occupancy and family dwellings into flats. Under the new rules local people won’t get a say at all, and these inappropriate developments would have gone ahead.”

“Under Boris Johnson the Conservatives have received more than £11m in donations from wealthy developers. Now Boris Johnson is giving his developer donors exactly what they want, by changing the rules so they can ride roughshod over the voices of  local people and businesses. That tells you all you need to know about this government and its priorities. It’s contracts for cronies, favours for their mates, and big changes for developers, while the rest of us deal with the consequences.”