Graham made the comment after it was reported in the media that the project faced being left £10 million short due to delays being caused by the discovery of a [...]]]> Delays to the construction of the new East Riding Community Hospital ‘will not’ lead to a funding shortfall, says MP for Beverley and Holderness Graham Stuart.

Graham made the comment after it was reported in the media that the project faced being left £10 million short due to delays being caused by the discovery of a protected Great Crested Newt on the site.

Graham said: “After seeing this in the press I immediately contacted the East Riding of Yorkshire NHS to get clarification of the situation.

“I have been told the project is still very much on track and that the money earmarked for the hospital has not been affected by the six month delay in work starting on the site.

“I am told the documents which were referred to in the press were from a meeting back in March looking at ‘potential’ risks to the hospital project. “

And he added: “I, with so many others, have campaigned long and hard for this major new facility to be built in Beverley – it will serve the town and much of the surrounding area with state-of-the-art facilities which can simply not be provided at the Westwood Hospital.

“When I set up CHANT (Community Hospitals Acting Nationally Together) back in 2005, it seemed the days of the small community hospital were coming to an end. In the East Riding alone, Beverley, Driffield, Hornsea and Withernsea hospitals were all under threat of cutbacks or closure and it seemed we were fighting a losing battle against the former Government’s plans.

 “It took a lot of hard work but ministers finally caved in and came round to the fact hospitals like the one planned in Beverley offer superior health care close to people’s homes.”

 The full business case for the new East Riding Community Hospital will go before the PCT board this Thursday. From there it will be Reserved Matters at planning on August 12 and to the Strategic Health Authority board on the September 7 prior to submission to the Department of Health.

The company, Renewable Energy Systems (RES), which wants to place the nine giant turbines on the site in Rectory Road, Roos, has appealed and an inquiry is [...]]]> Graham Stuart, the MP for Beverley and Holderness, is to give evidence at a Planning Inquiry being held after a proposed wind farm at Roos was turned down by councillors.

The company, Renewable Energy Systems (RES), which wants to place the nine giant turbines on the site in Rectory Road, Roos, has appealed and an inquiry is now being held at County Hall in Beverley.

 Graham said: “I have been contacted by many constituents opposed to this wind farm application.

 “While I fully understand and appreciate the need for renewable energy sources, I cannot agree with the heavy handed way these plans are being forced on the people who live in Holderness.”

 Graham will argue at the inquiry on Friday morning that the Roos plan is a ‘wind farm too far’ as – if approved – it will have a major visual impact on the area.

 He said: “The East Riding has already met its 2020 target for renewable energy and should not have more wind farms forced on it if they are inappropriately sited and will blight landscapes.

 “The people of this area are more than reasonable and are happy to do their bit for the national interest. That’s why it is so wrong that companies are barely consulting locally but spending fortunes on lawyers to drive through decisions on appeal.”

 And he added: “The key principle is that local people, not some government inspector, should decide what happens in their area. The Conservatives will revolutionise planning so that far more of the power rests locally rather than with ministers and their inspectors. Additionally I have pushed for Conservative policy on wind farms to include an accumulation test so that areas, like Holderness, can’t be overwhelmed by successive windfarms in the way that happens now under Labour.

 “East Riding Council has fought and lost all five planning appeals so far. I will be protesting to the Inspector at the impact of this latest appeal but, whatever the outcome on this occasion, it’s clear we need a change of government if local views are to be respected. Current rules show no respect for the wishes of the people who have to live with wind farms for decades thereafter and that must change.” 

Graham is due to appear before the Planning Inspector, Wendy Burden, at 9.30am on Friday March 12.

Plans for the revamped boat compound are due to go before East Riding Council planners in February.

Graham said: “The fishing industry is still a vital and vibrant part of what Withernsea is. This compound [...]]]> Beverley and Holderness MP, Graham Stuart, says work to improve the fishing boat compound in Withernsea could help to revitalise the town.

Plans for the revamped boat compound are due to go before East Riding Council planners in February.

Graham said: “The fishing industry is still a vital and vibrant part of what Withernsea is. This compound will provide much better services for the small fleet and could even see other boats relocate to Withernsea.”