Marcus Jones, who is seeking re-election to Parliament in next month’s General Election, has met with the Secretary of State, Eric Pickles, to discuss a number of planning issues.

The Communities and Local Government Secretary visited Nuneaton yesterday (8 April) to meet with Marcus and to learn more about local concerns, including the Council’s Borough Plan delays and proposals for Daw Mill, which Marcus is opposing.

During the visit, Mr Pickles visited the Daw Mill site and areas that are under threat of housing development on greenbelt land due to the absence of a Borough Plan, which the Labour Council have continued to delay.

Commenting, Marcus said: “I was pleased to welcome Eric to Nuneaton and to show him first hand some of the concerns local people have raised with me in recent weeks and months. The Council’s continued dithering and delays over the Borough Plan are unacceptable and it is long overdue that a Plan was introduced, one that has the support of local people who are understandably concerned about inappropriate housing developments that lack appropriate infrastructure, including suitable roads, adequate school places and local health services.

“It was also an opportunity to share with the Secretary of State the concerns of local residents about the proposals at the former Daw Mill site. The proposed development is disproportionate on Over Whitacre, Arley and surrounding areas and I fail to see how the huge numbers of vehicles and heavy goods vehicles could be catered for on roads that are not fit for that purpose. I am fully supportive of the concerns raised by residents about this proposal and I was able to explain the background to Eric.”

Adding, Eric Pickles, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, said: “Marcus highlighted to me a number of very important local issues that residents are quite understandably concerned about. There is clearly much happening in Nuneaton and the lack of a Local Plan is not helpful. Conservatives in Government have scrapped Labour’s top-down regional quangos, and given councils a greater say over planning – all we ask is for councils to have an up to date Local Plan. Four-fifths of councils now have a published Local Plan, and it’s about time that Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council joined this list of councils, so local people can shape where development should or shouldn’t go.”