The following paragraph from LGIU Daily News tells us that we are not alone in facing predatory developers in Preston. Fortunately we have a Local Development Framework which is in its final stages and awaits sign off by Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Covernment, but just think how much worse things could get if we didn’t have any defences.

The National Trust has warned that Britain is facing “warfare” in communities around the country over development plans as some councils are struggling to meet deadlines to implement planning reforms. Research has shown that at least half of councils in England will miss a deadline later this month to adopt a local plan showing where development can take place. The National Trust said that those councils who miss the deadline will be subject to a “presumption in favour of sustainable development”, something which it believes will lead to more conflict and not more housing. Sir Simon Jenkins, the trust’s chairman, comments: “If you start trying to build houses where local people don’t want them, they will fight. At the moment, anybody who knows anything about local Britain will know it’s a warfare area. Everywhere you go people are fighting random applications to develop.” The Trust has called on the Government to extend the deadline for councils for another year.