THE Middlewich Labour candidate for this year’s general election has hit out at Neighbourhood Plans like the one in Middlewich, saying they ‘do not address the real issues.’


Darren Price, who is the candidate for the Congleton Constituency, which Middlewich lies within, responded to the new powers to speed up the Neighbourhood Planning process by saying it is too little too late.


Darren said: “Whilst these changes may shave a few weeks off a process likely to take up to two years, Neighbourhood Planning remains a long and expensive process. It should be remembered that the production of a Neighbourhood Plan is only a part of the solution to the problem. 


“Neighbourhood Plans are useful tools but they cannot be used as an Elastoplast to repair the gaping holes left by the lack of a Local Plan.


“They take a long time, a lot of money and a significant effort from the community to complete, and even then they cannot stop development from taking place. They only help to decide where it goes within the area.”