On Friday 23 October, Sarah Dines MP visited Wildgoose construction at one of their sites in Matlock.
Sarah Dines MP said: ‘Wildgoose construction is an incredible local success story. The company was founded in 1896 by the great-grandfather of the current Chair, Jonathan Wildgoose. On Friday Jonathan took the time to show me around one of their recent projects in Matlock. I was lucky enough to be introduced to some of the team, including Edward who has worked for the company for 51 years. On the site at the time there were two other employees who had also worked with the company for over 40 years. It is brilliant to have a successful company that was founded in Derbyshire Dales many years ago, still employing local Derbyshire people. The longstanding members of the team are testament to the professionalism and innovation of this company.
Housing developments are sometimes contentious issues for local people and I completely understand this. There must always be a balance between the need for more homes in Derbyshire Dales and the protection of our beautiful landscapes and country-side. I appreciate the many people feel strongly about this issue and rightly so. At the heart of planning are the very homes we live in, the schools our children go to, the hospital we visit and the roads that take us there. That is why reforming the way our outdated and bureaucratic planning system works is so important, because it is not currently delivering for the people that use it or the communities that want beautiful homes to live in.
I am encouraged that the Planning for the Future consultation aims to improve community engagement by emphasising it in the local plan-making stage. Local plans should be fully digitised and web-based and follow clear standards. I am aware that some early pilots from local planning authorities using digital engagement tools have shown increased public participation, which I hope can be replicated as well in our planning system. By requiring a high degree of engagement in creating local plans, it will democratise these plans that then set clear rules for development and allow greater focus to be placed on design quality at the local level.’
