MP Tells Tory Council to 'Toughen Up' its stance on Twickenham 'Overdevelopment'

4.59.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 12th Oct 2004

Vincent Cable, MP, welcomed the comments of Conservative council deputy leader, Councillor Samuel, on the dangers of over development in the Twickenham area as representing the basis for "an all party consensus on the need for restraining excessive commercial house building in those areas, like Twickenham, where the infrastructure of roads and schools simply cannot cope".

But Vincent Cable said that the council was not a hapless victim of development. "It has the means to influence it. Unfortunately the Conservative council got off to a terrible start with its proposals for building on public open space in the Crane Valley, at Collis School, Heathfield recreation ground and elsewhere. Thanks to public protests and the UDP planning inspector it has had to beat a retreat".

"Councillor Samuel is quite right to warn of the dangers of hundreds of new homes in four new developments in the Crane Valley area, where the local roads are severely congested and the only access and exit, which can be allowed, is the increasingly overcrowded A316. But one of the developments - the Mereway Depot - is owned by the council, which surely has the capacity to produce a more creative proposal in line with the thinking of local residents and the environmental action group FORCE".

"And while the Harlequins, the Tertiary College and the Post Office can all put forward a good case individually for an enabling development, the cumulative effect of their activities is simply not sustainable".