The Localism Bill: more power to the people
Cllr Simche Steinberger. Photograph: Hackney Citizen
As a Hackney councillor, I welcome the Localism Bill currently making its way through Parliament. This bill will hopefully, when it is passed into law, enable local residents to have a proper input into the planning process and help decide what regulations they want in relation to their neighbourhoods.
Hackney is famous for the diversity of which we are all rightly proud. One of the consequences of this diversity is that residents in different parts of the borough have different needs and views of what they want for their local areas. This new law will enable each area to implement the policies they think are best for the residents of that area.
The possibility of devolved planning powers could, for example, enable residents in my ward (Springfield) and other wards which have similar needs to change the rules governing loft conversions and extensions, so as to make it easier for growing families to adjust their homes to suit their needs.
Many of my constituents have large families, and there is a severe shortage of adequate accommodation, especially in new high-rise blocks, which rarely include flats with more than four bedrooms. This means that children often grow up with insufficient space, which is unhealthy and increases the chance of antisocial behaviour. It also puts pressure on the council to provide additional homes through new development. Allowing large families to convert their homes would lessen the need for new developments, and it would not cost the council any money (in fact, the council would generate revenue from the planning application fees it would receive and from the increased council tax paid on larger homes).
The provisions of the Localism Bill will also make it easier for local communities to block new developments that they do not think suitable for their area, including developments that involve buildings, such as, for example, the new Clapton Tram Sheds development and the twenty-four storey block in Woodberry Down. The Tram Depot is one of the oldest and most historical buildings in Hackney, and the new development could displace businesses that have been there for many years in order to accommodate a seven-storey block.
The Localism Bill will also make it easier for residents to establish and run local markets, such as that currently being piloted on Chatsworth Road.
The Hackney executive recently made a formal contribution to the consultation process on this bill on behalf of the council. This contribution made a large number of objections to the provisions contained in the bill. In preparing this response, the executive failed to consult its own residents to see what their views were; indeed, the opposition parties were not even consulted, promoting the official opposition Conservative group to submit their, more favourable, contribution to the consultation process, which would solve a lot of residents’ problems and serve their needs. This episode itself demonstrates the weakness of centralised, one-size-fits-all policy-making in Hackney where a small number of officials make decisions on behalf of local residents without necessarily taking their views on board.
Fortunately, the Localism Bill, which will hopefully be passed soon, will significantly curtail the ability of Hackney Council to ignore the views of local residents and return power back to the people where it belongs.
Simche Steinberger is a councillor for Springfield ward and deputy leader of Hackney Conservatives.
Related: more opinion
The problem with this Bill is that it DOESNT recognise the diversity of local areas. Many of the people living in Stamford Hill would be absolutely horrified at the thought that the planning regulations could be changed to allow willy nilly development which is often opposed by neighbours. We can already see what kind of development is envisaged: houses built in gardens, massive extensions that ruin the look of Victorian streets and block out neighbours light and, worst of all, illegal schools that create noise nuisance for all the adjoining homes. Panning regs provide a framework to help people live peacefully together. Freeing the regs is a recipe for community strife. It must be opposed
I’m concerned about he emphasis on providing accommodation for very large families. I think legislation and policy should not support families with more than two children and actively encourage on or none. Whilst some ethnic groups have traditionally preferred to have large numbers of children I don’t think it makes sense in an already overpopulated world and should not be encouraged.
Perhaps Councillor Steinberger explain why he thinks the Localism Bill will make it easier for communities to block new developments that they dont think are suitable,
As a Hackney householder, I can see the Localism Bill that Councillor Steinberger is so keen on may be a disaster for everyone in Stamford Hill if it encourages more of the over-development that is already threatening the residents. The current planning rules and the efforts of the Hackney planning department to enforce them are the only defence residents now have against massive extensions, oversized dormers, additional floors, concreted-over gardens, cut-down trees and illegal schools. I wouldn’t want to live in the kind of world Councillor Steinberger seems to have in mind for me and nor, I suspect, would the majority of Hackney’s residents. Maintaining a balanced, inclusive planning policy which takes the needs of all local people into account, which is not dictated by one interest group, is absolutely essential for the future of Stamford Hill and the borough as a whole. Anyone who cares about the wellbeing of the borough should stand up against attempts to use the Localism Bill as a way of bypassing the current planning laws.
Councillor Steinberger, Actually cares for the residents and probably one of the only Councillor that sticks up for the local residents , and if its good for seven sisters why cant it be good for Stamford Hill. Its about time Hackney recognizes the needs of the local growing families and gives them the beds they need!!!