Dispute over 26,000 new homes
Doubts have been cast over claims by a local MP that the Government is looking at expanding the West of Stevenage development to a massive 26,000 homes .
Hitchin MP Peter Lilley claims that Westminster has commissioned a study into expanding the West of Stevenage development, even though permission has not yet been granted for a single brick to be laid.
Mr Lilley's source claims that although consultants Roger Tym and partners have carried out the study, the Government will not publish it.
"The number of houses is equivalent to a small town, and the extraordinary thing is that Government has commissioned this report, yet is not making it available to the councils and districts it affects," said Mr Lilley.
The highest figures previously discussed were of up to 10,000 homes west of the A1(M), although the ongoing West of Stevenage planning inquiry is looking into whether the development should go ahead at all, and if so, whether they should build 3,600 or 5,000 homes.
Mr Lilley said that Government consultants are discussing the increase as well as inviting developers to nominate previously declined Green Belt sites for development in other areas of the county.
But councillors and officials involved in regional planning say they have no idea where the figure has come from, and are not aware of any such plans.
John Gardner, environment councillor at Stevenage Borough Council, dismissed Mr Lilley's announcement as "absolute scaremongering".
"While some of my colleagues might well smile at the prospect of 26,000 houses for Stevenage I certainly don't know anything about that.
"I should imagine it would be much closer to 10-15,000 for the whole Stevenage area to 2021."
John Reynolds, chair of the East of England Regional Assembly's Regional Planning Panel, added: "Nowhere have I heard talk of 26,000 houses for West of Stevenage.
"The only way you could get that figure would be by adding housing capacities from Hitchin, Baldock and the surrounding area.
"We are certainly not suggesting there should be that number of houses put in West of Stevenage.
"It is not a figure that we are setting out in our draft plan."
Enquiries by The Comet have also unearthed no evidence to confirm his claims.
A partner of Roger Tym consultants, the company that allegedly carried out the study, told us their last study of the area was published in August.
Despite the rebuttals, Mr Lilley says his information on the hushed-up plan has come from a "very authoritative source" in Government.
Herts24, 14th October 2004
