Brighton MP defends comments about new towns at Plumpton and Ringmer: ‘Every single corner of this country will need to have new homes’

Lewes politicians and campaigners told Lloyd Russell-Moyle, MP for Kemp Town, to ‘mind his own business’ after his appearance on the BBC Politics Show South East on October 15.

Mr Russell-Moyle criticised local opposition to new towns, saying: “You have to say to local people there are certain parameters you can influence but some things need to be done. The disaster of HS2 was because Britain allowed a NIMBY charter to rule.”

Those angered by his comments included: Lewes Liberal Democrat candidate James Macleary; Lewes District Councillor for Ouse Valley & Ringmer Emily O’Brien; Marc Munier from Don't Urbanise the Downs; and MP for Ringmer and Plumpton Maria Caulfield.

Mr Russell-Moyle, who grew up in Lewes, clarified his views, saying Britain ‘desperately’ needs new homes. He said: “That means every town and village, every single corner of this country will need to have new homes.”

He continued: “I want everyone to be able to grow up in beautiful towns and villages like where I spent my childhood. But, let's be honest, Ringmer is a string development that's had no proper planning. Plumpton Green is right next to a railway station and has huge capacity for growth.”

He went on: “When we talk about development in those areas I think we can talk about it in terms of improving those areas, making them really fantastic places to live. That does mean change.”

Mr Russell-Moyle said he does not think it is acceptable to simply say ‘well, the homes shouldn’t be here’. “They need to be everywhere, no one has a choice of saying ‘not here’,” he said. “You can’t expect some people to have to take houses and then say ‘no, I’m special’. That’s not fair.”

Mr Russell-Moyle disagrees with the current approach to developments. He said: “What the Conservatives and Liberals offer is just a ‘yes or no option’. No, we don't want houses. Yes, let the private developers rule.”

He said: “Our vision of house-building in Labour is building the infrastructure first. You build roads, you build schools and doctors’ surgeries, you build the community centres and the churches and the village halls first. Then you sell off plots to small builders, local developers and some national developers as well – a plethora of all because we will need all in this ‘dig for Britain’ – and you allow them to build a variety of interesting houses.”

He said this would produce ‘interesting towns and villages’ and ‘bring the community on board’ beforehand.

He said: “You can’t decide whether you have houses or not – they are going to be built – but what you can do is have a say on how those houses are going to be built, what the community structure is going to be.”

Mr Russell-Moyle defended his use of the term ‘NIMBY’, calling it ‘a descriptive term of something that we all have the capacity to do’. He also defended his objections to new housing at Lower Hoddern Farm, Peacehaven, in 2018, saying he did not object to the principle of the development, but ‘laid out a number of conditions that needed to be met’ before it continued.