Don’t build on countryside
Weekend Walks - Circular walk through Warmington and Elton. Open countryside near Warmington
I am increasingly concerned about the Government’s planning reforms.
They’re right to talk about protecting Green Belts, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty when decisions are made about where development should take place, but what about the 60 per cent of England’s countryside that is none of these things – like a lot of our local countryside?
Since 1945, successive governments have protected the countryside for its own sake – which means thinking carefully before building in the countryside, and ensuring it is an option of last resort.
For almost 20 years, there has been a requirement that land that has been used before – brownfield land – should be developed before green fields.
The Government is proposing to abandon this policy, yet a new report by the Campaign to Protect Rural England demonstrates that the supply of brownfield land is increasing – there is enough to provide 1.5 million new homes.
Protecting the countryside and building on brownfield land go hand in hand. Time is running out – I gather that ministers are considering the final changes to their new planning policies.
If something is not done soon to get them to change their plans, much of our countryside will be at risk. Readers can use the action on the Campaign to Protect Rural England’s website to write to their MP at www.cpre.org.uk.
Tim Kearsley
Avenue Road,
Rushden
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Weather for Kettering
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Temperature: 11 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
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gemmac
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 12:50 PMthe problem is we are running out of room, while the population continues to grow.We are still paying people to have children while the worlds resources are declining. I know it is controversial but we need to slow down the growth in population. It never ceases to amaze me that millions are starving in the world, while we increase in numbers. We cannot feed the world as it is and if we keep building, there is less green agricultural land, we then import more goods, thus increase in carbon footprint.
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