MP's PLEA ON THATCHES

4.11.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 7th Apr 2008

Local MP David Heath has called for a rethink on the way planning officers deal with thatched cottages in an intervention in the House of Commons. In a question to local government minister Hazel Blears, Mr Heath called for relaxing guidelines on listed buildings to deal with a national shortage of thatching straw.

Mr Heath said:

"I've previously drawn attention to the huge costs those who live in listed thatched cottages face when it's time to replace or repair the roof. Now things are even more difficult because the effects of adverse weather on harvests mean that there is a shortage of some types of cereal straw for thatching. Council officials insist, however, that there can be no variation from the material used for the previous thatch, ruling out the use of reed, other straws or imported material, which is creating more and more of a headache for thatchers and owners.

I'm not convinced the original rules make sense anyway, as it is almost impossible to tell from the look of it what material has been used, and I suspect historically a much wider range of material would have been used than our current-day planners seem to think. But it just needs a bit of common-sense to be applied, and that's what I'm asking for.

Unfortunately the Secretary of State, who represents the very urban Salford, looked as though she had never heard of a thatched cottage let alone addressed the issue when I asked her the question, but she has promised to write to me, so I'm hopeful someone in the department will at least look into the matter.

Certainly there are still a fair number of thatched properties in my constituency where the owners are facing real problems at the moment."