Soapbox: Protecting the green belt

I WOULD like to bring to the notice of the general public the ineffective consultation being undertaken by North Somerset District Council (NSDC) regarding the plans for what is commonly known as the "Yanley" development.

There have been several reports in the Post regarding this development.

In September, NSDC, in conjunction with other local councils, produced a booklet outlining the process. Unfortunately, they didn't make it widely known they had done so.

On November 27, NSDC held an open day for members of the public to see the current state of plans regarding the green belt between Long Ashton and Hartcliffe.

As a resident of Warmley, who may be facing similar decimation of our countryside, I wanted to see how a local authority would handle the process and consult with the general public. Not seeing any adverts, I was keen to find out when it was.

I had heard by word of mouth, that the public display was to be in Long Ashton at 7.30pm.

Not being confident of word of mouth I rang NSDC and, after about 20 minutes, I found a very helpful person who told me the display was actually at Bristol City Football ground between 2.30pm and 8pm.

I got there with time to spare and spent a few hours talking to those manning the displays. All were planning consultants; one for Bristol University looking at developing its agricultural research land, one for NSDC looking at constraints to development, and one for a private developer who already owns 10 per cent of their area of interest and controls a further 70 per cent, having taken options to purchase from land owners.

All were very helpful and willing to discuss both arguments for and against.

All were very surprised that they had had very few visitors. No one who did attend was in favour of the development.

I was told that NSDC had asked for the session to be advertised, but there was no evidence that it was.

I would like to make a plea on behalf of all who believe in democracy: "Come on North Somerset District Council, recognise that the session didn't work because very few knew about it, and run another session within two weeks."

This time, make a real effort to ensure that democracy can take place. We have in the area an excellent newspaper, radio and television, and thriving parish councils. Use them all, unless, of course, you have something to hide.

Steve Reade, Warmley.

I THOUGHT that I would respond to Peter Hack's letter concerning the campaign that I have been running against the Government's decision to build on the green belt in Kingswood ("Tell us how you'd fix it, Mr Skidmore", Open Lines, November 15).

I entirely agree that the supply of affordable housing is a serious problem in the South West. We do need more affordable homes. We need them for struggling young families that want to have a home they can call their own.

We need them for those who work in the public services who struggle to get on to the housing ladder – teachers, police, care workers like Mr Hack.

I am also concerned that there are many vulnerable young people who desperately need the opportunity to access social housing as a step towards a better life.

As a trustee of Kingswood Young Homeless Project (now KYHP), I hope I can help to provide those opportunities within Kingswood. It is one of my key political aspirations and ambitions to get as many people as possible owning their own homes, giving them greater independence and security.

And yes, we do need to resolve the current housing crisis that our nation faces.

It is painfully clear that the Labour Government's decision to reduce the number of affordable and social housing units to an all-time low of 20,000 per year, coupled with its decision to allow a house-price bubble to get out of control, has been a mistake: a mistake that is not only costing every taxpayer, but is already increasing the suffering of the most vulnerable unable to purchase a home in the years of rising prices, and who could have benefited from a steady supply of new affordable homes over the past 10 years.

In the South West alone, there are now 157,000 people on housing waiting lists – an increase of 66 per cent since 2002.

So I am not against building new homes. The problem is that we must be able to ensure that our local infrastructure – our hospitals, schools and road networks – are able to cope with the increased demand that extra housing brings, if people who need new housing are to get the decent homes matched with the public services they deserve.

This is why South Gloucestershire Council has suggested that 21,000 homes can be built, which would also avoid building on the green belt.

This is why I helped establish the "No Way To 33k" campaign to highlight that the local area could not cope with the Government's demand of 32,800 homes, and have worked with local housing campaigners against the Government's plans.

It is important that the green belt should remain in place, as it is crucial for a sustainable environment that benefits everyone, and is something that can be enjoyed by all.

The problem with building on the green belt is that it also gives developers the incentive not to build on brown field sites which need to be developed if regeneration of those local areas is to take place.

Chris Skidmore, prospective Conservative MP, Kingswood.