Shropshire politicians in plea over planning rules on housing

County MPs including Owen Paterson, Daniel Kawczynski and Philip Dunne, as well as Shropshire Council's housing cabinet member Mal Price and specialist planning policy officer Dave Wallace, were in London yesterday for the meeting.

They were there to discuss the difficulties the county is having with the Government's National Planning Policy Framework.

Under the legislation, councils with not enough development land set aside for the next five years have to assess planning applications with a presumption in favour of "sustainable development" – even if sites being put forward have not been selected as areas for possible new housing by local communities.

Shropshire currently has a lack of five-year land supply, meaning council planning committees have been voting through housing development applications they are unhappy with for fear of being taken to appeal by developers, losing and making the local authority liable to pay costs.

Mr Kawczynski said on Twitter the issue was "leaving constituents without a voice", with unwanted developments getting the go-ahead.

He said notes from the meeting would be sent out to local parish councils to update them on what Mr Boles said.

It comes as it was reported today that house sales have climbed to their highest levels in six years as the market shows increasing signs of life across the country.

Surveyors sold an average of nearly 23 homes in the three months to March, marking the highest amount seen since February 2008, the report from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Rics) said.

All parts of the UK saw buyer inquiries up last month, with the exception of Wales where new interest was static after strong growth in previous months, Rics said.

But, while buying activity is picking up in more regions, the anticipated spring bounce which usually happens around now and sees more people putting their homes up for sale, has "failed to materialise", Rics said.

The body said the mismatch between the lack of a supply of homes and blossoming demand from would-be buyers remains a "major concern" and is continuing to put an upward pressure on prices.

Looking ahead, surveyors expect property prices to keep climbing into the summer, with an overall balance of 48 per cent of surveyors expecting prices to rise in the next three months.

Sales volumes are also predicted to increase.