24/07/07 - Crazy Government House Building Targets

Home Construction Madness From Government

The release of a Government Green Paper on development that does not rule out home construction on flood plains was described today by South Swindon's Conservative Candidate, Robert Buckland as "Like dancing on the edge of a cliff".

"At a time when thousands of homes across the country have been deluged with floods, is it not abundantly clear to everyone that more house construction on flood plains risks further disaster?  In Swindon, I have grave concerns about development in places such as the Front Garden.  We are told that none of the development there will be in areas that are usually flooded, but with unusually heavy rainfall and a greater run-off from developed areas, how can we be so sure?" said Robert.

Robert added: "A Government that truly understood the concept of sustainable development would not be advocating development in flood plains unless there was massive, Dutch-style flood protection. 

For Housing Minister Yvette Cooper to tell us that because Number Ten Downing Street is on a flood plain then everything will be OK is unhelpful and inaccurate, firstly because it was built in the early eighteenth century on the edge of what had been an island and secondly because the lower Thames has flood defence systems designed to protect it against a long-standing and worsening flood risk. 

My question is simple: why build on flood plains now that we know what the risks are?  The madness must cease. "