MARTIN RAISES STAKES ON LECKHAMPTON GREEN LAND (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

Cheltenham Liberal Democrats <info@cheltlibdems.org.uk>

MARTIN RAISES STAKES ON LECKHAMPTON GREEN LAND

June 13, 2007 3:49 PM

Cheltenham MP Martin Horwood today dramatically raised the stakes over the future of Leckhampton's 'white land', tackling Housing and Planning Minister Yvette Cooper face to face in the House of Commons. This Leckhampton green land has been repeatedly threatened by developers and planners - most recently by the planned inclusion of 360 houses at Farm Lane in the Tewkesbury Local Plan. This has been defeated but the South West Regional Assembly looks set to demand further housing in the area as part of their Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS).

Martin called for the the Leckhampton land to be made Green Belt in his submission to the RSS 'Examination in Public' panel and in a submission to Cheltenham Borough Council's Green Belt Review last year. The Leckhampton Green Land Action Group (LEGLAG) also made the call in their public evidence to the RSS panel recently.

Martin asked the minister whether she accepted that "areas like the so-called 'white land' at Leckhampton near my constituency will face increasing pressure from developers unless the protection of Green Belt status is extended to them". Martin claimed the Government's policy of encouraging 'urban extensions' posed a direct threat to areas like Leckhampton. "The market-led urban extensions policy encourages developers to focus on affluent areas like this instead of on urban regeneration or social housing or struggling villages or counties like Cornwall that want and need the housing more" he told the House of Commons.

The minister accepted that Green Belt could be extended but said the responsibility lay with regional authorities and with local councils. But she emphasised her continuing belief that many more houses needed to be built.

"So the buck passes clearly to local councils like Cheltenham Borough Council" commented Martin afterwards. "We know where the government stands and we can't rely on the Regional Spatial Strategy which hasn't responded to any local opinion so far despite years of consultation. We need Cheltenham Borough Council to unequivocally support the extension of the Green Belt in Leckhampton. My father helped to found LEGLAG to see off this threat. It will carry on from generation to generation unless a decisive step is taken to protect it."