Stop the Bully-boy Developers

My neighbourhood is under attack.

I strongly support the proposals to charge a Vacant Land Tax on sites which have planning permission for development but have not been started; and to force developers who want to renegotiate their Section 106 agreements to open their books and show clearly and unequivocally why the site is no longer viable. A combination of tax penalties and greater transparency, both supported by at least some planning officers, will make it far less attractive for developers to obtain planning permission on brownfield sites then claim they're not viable, in effect holding the community to ransom as they are in Stockton at the moment: Give us permission to build on the green fields at the edge of the borough and you can have lots of nice New Homes Bonus or we walk away and you get neither housing nor money.

Conference, please support the motion and these two amendments.