Martin defends green spaces (Cheltenham Liberal Democrats)

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

Martin defends green spaces

April 27, 2007 10:06 PM

Speaking from the Liberal Democrat front bench in a recent parliamentary debate, local MP Martin Horwood has called for the so-called Leckhampton 'white land' to be included in the Green Belt for the first time.

Martin, who lives in Leckhampton himself, has lobbied hard against overdevelopment on local green spaces, attending consultation events and putting detailed arguments to the South West Regional Assembly and to Tewkesbury and Cheltenham Borough Councils. Immediate plans have now been dropped but Martin said 'the threat will always remain from predatory developers until we can bring the Leckhampton land in to the more permanent protection of the Green Belt.' The Leckhampton land is at particular risk because it was left out of the original Green Belt.

Green spaces around Cheltenham continue to be threatened by ever-increasing government housing targets. Martin questioned the calculations behind the numbers and said other policies were needed to help those who couldn't afford a first-time home.