Time to break silence over housing
The outline planning application for up to 450 houses on green belt land to the east of Barry Road, Oldland Common, has caused outrage and should be opposed.
The reason given to justify the proposal, by the development manager for those behind the application, is that "South Gloucestershire Council has run out of development land" (Evening Post, August 13).
This is an astonishing claim given the council's repeated argument that it can build 21,500 new homes by 2026 without touching the green belt.
In the interests of transparency and accountability, it is time that South Gloucestershire Council told us where they plan to put these new houses.
Their silence on this issue to date is undermining the strenuous efforts many of us are making to save the green belt. In the meantime, I would urge all local residents to make their views clear to South Gloucestershire Council before their consultation expiry date of September 11.
I shall certainly be doing so.
Roger Berry MP,
Labour, Kingswood.
Comments
by Trisha, South Bristol
Wednesday, August 26 2009, 10:16PM
“Can we fail to notice a growing revolution developing across the England's countryside.
The threat to rural England and precious Green Belt has not been so great since post war Britain. With just 11% of Green Belt remaining, how much more will be lost in the next twelve months? There may be a recession and building in many parts has all but dried up, but it does not seem to deter developers from siezing, the opportunity, even if premature, of a relaxation of green belt law. A planning application has been submitted in North Somerset for 9,500 houses, a new town, on the outshirts of Bristol,all of which is green belt land. If passed the last bit of protected Green Belt and natural green space in South Bristol will be gone forever, along with the hopes for becoming a green city with solid green credentials. This application has come hot on the heals of another developers application to build a 42,000 seat football stadium, hotel and houses all on green belt.
The South West Regional Spacial Strategy generated over 35,000 objections, yet so far the Government have ignored this and are pressing ahead with this deeply unpopular policy. In South East England the RSS resulted in a judicial review after being challenged and its validity questioned.
Small communities all over the South West are fighting to protect areas of natural green space which are the lungs of the city. Mr Brown said the Green Belt would be 'safe in his hands', but it seems he has lost his grip on this issue and sadly we may all be worse off because of it.”