Surrey Greens have slammed as “a betrayal of residents” the Conservatives’ attempt to merge Reigate & Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) with Crawley, which would lead to thousands of houses for Crawley residents being built on Green Belt in the Reigate & Banstead council area.
At last night’s RBBC meeting, a Conservative proposal to merge with Crawley Borough Council failed to get an overall majority – passed by 17 votes to 15, with four abstentions. Separately, all but one of the councillors voted in favour of a three-council unitary with three other Surrey councils: Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley and Tandridge.
Cllr Jonathan Essex, leader of the Green groups on RBBC and Surrey County Council, highlighted the impacts of the proposal on house-building on the Green Belt. He said: “Without any public consultation, the Conservatives have suggested a merger with Crawley, knowing that Crawley cannot possibly build all the homes it needs on its own land. This would inevitably lead to even more building on Reigate & Banstead’s countryside. This move by the Conservatives is a grotesque betrayal of the many residents who say that the Green Belt is what they value most about where they live.
Cllr Essex highlighted the information about housing targets on page 188 of the paper proposing that RBBC and Crawley form a merged authority.
He said: “This sells the move as a ‘joined up approach to local and strategic infrastructure planning… unlocking major strategic housing opportunities’ such as at Redhill Aerodrome and land to the east of Salfords’.”
Cllr Victoria Chester, Deputy Leader of the Greens in Reigate and Banstead said: “This proposal feels like a deal to build Crawley’s housing need as well as our doubled target, glossing over the fact that most of our non-urban land is green belt. It would put added pressure on our urban centres and infrastructure and mean yet more building on flood plains. Why would we volunteer to concrete over our Green Belt to create an urban continuum from London to Gatwick? This is not what residents want.”
Cllr Essex added: “RBBC has just written to the government demanding protection of the Green Belt and now we have the majority group on the council agreeing to an arrangement that would destroy the Green Belt. This is inexplicable; it makes no sense.”
Cllr Essex wants instead a three-council unitary with Surrey neighbours such as Epsom and Ewell, Mole Valley and Tandridge.
