Poor planning due to lack of local accountability say Lib Dems

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 21st Aug 2003

Andrew Simpson, Liberal Democrat parliamentary spokesman, hit back at the British Institute of Architects 'rent-a-quote' President, George Ferguson, last night saying "Mr. Ferguson dropped in for a whistle stop tour to a town he does not know and has the brass neck to complain about the architecture and town planning of Northampton - architecture imposed on us by his own profession".

Andrew Simpson went on to point out that the Eastern Districts - which were heavily criticised by Ferguson - were not planned locally but were imposed on Northampton by central government through the previous Development Corporation. "without the infrastructure, facilities or care needed to link them to the town or for them to become vibrant communities."

He went on to warn "We now are in danger of the same thing happening again. John Prescott wants to dump an extra 49,000 houses onto Northampton which will see much of our local countryside disappear under concrete. The Tories and Labour are falling over themselves to agree to the government's demands for a new Development Corporation -- even though Development Corporations have brought some of the worst town planning and poorest quality housing to Northampton and to Britain as a whole. Development of the town needs to be controlled by the people of Northampton through their democratically elected councillors - not a quango set up by the Government."

He concluded "Only the Liberal Democrats are opposing the government's plans. Another massive expansion of Northampton will be a disaster for our town."