18th October 2025
Local residents have expressed anger after Liberal Democrat MP Lisa Smart appeared on BBC Question Time on 16th October 2024, speaking about the need for “new homes in the right places” while opposing the loss of valued green land.
During the broadcast, Ms Smart said: “What we don’t want is a load of quite uninspiring homes being built on patches of land that we really value… and where the nature impact of that is not something we want.” She also added that “We do need new homes but they need to be in the right places.”
However, campaigners in Romiley have accused Ms Smart and her team of inaction over the controversial potential housing development at Padden Brook. Residents say the green space — a W1 wildlife site and protected amenity land whas been under threat for more than 14 months, with little visible support from their local representatives.
One resident said, “It’s hard to hear those words on national television when we’ve seen no movement at all to protect Padden Brook. The community has been raising alarms for over a year.”
Community groups have repeatedly called for intervention to safeguard the site, arguing that housing development here would damage both the landscape and biodiversity.
The Romiley Gazette has contacted Ms Smart’s office for comment regarding her position on the Padden Brook plans and what action, if any, has been taken since local concerns were first raised.
