Letter: Is the Green Belt Safe in Council Hands?

Published on: 16 Nov, 2013
Updated on: 16 Nov, 2013

From Michael Bruton

When Labour’s John Prescott tried to force a Woking/Guildford mega town on us Guildford Borough Council took him to a judicial review and won.

Now, Guildford’s Conservative council appears to be conniving with central government, the one blaming the other, to wreck the green belt.

But on July 1st, Eric Pickles’ department published a written answer stating that “The Secretary of State…considers that the single issue of unmet demand, whether for traveller sites or for conventional housing is unlikely to outweigh harm to the green belt and other harm to constitute the very special circumstances justifying inappropriate development in the green belt”.

This was reiterated by Nick Boles MP, Planning Minister, in a letter to Anne Milton MP (Octoiber 7) concerning green belt development at Wonersh.

At a packed meeting in East Horsley Village Hall (November 7), our MP Paul Beresford, reported that he had spoken to Nick Boles who had told him that GBC was under no pressure to tamper with the green belt and that any such tampering would be because GBC Councillors had decided to do so.

So is the green belt safe in the Conservative Guildford Borough Council’s (GBC) hands? No way.

The new planning laws, The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) brought in by Cameron and co. in 2012, have led to a developer free for all. GBC now appears to be working with central government to build anything anywhere. This is also happening across Surrey’s other boroughs and elsewhere in the Home Counties.

So “Hands off the Green Belt” GBC. And please turn up from across the Borough on 29 November at 1400 at GBC in Millmead to show councillors what we voters think about their plans.

Responses to Letter: Is the Green Belt Safe in Council Hands?

Jim Allen Reply

November 19, 2013 at 4:42 pm

Is the greenbelt safe? Hopefully it is and what would make a new boundary any safer than the old?

It is alleged that we have a short supply of housing land but is this for much needed homes or a job creation scheme to reduce unemployment? I am not convinced either way. One thing I am sure of most of the roads in our borough run through green belt. To ensure that we reduce pollution we may need to introduce either wider roads or New roads.

Currently in one mile at 10mph an average car of 1740cc takes in and outputs 52,200 litre’s of emissions. The same car at 70mph puts out 3,878ltrs’s based on time taken to cover the mile and gear ratios.

By this calculation we must speed the traffic up to reduce the emission levels at any one location. With traffic at 10mph on the A3 one day in three something must be done. What is the point of the green belt if everything dies due to the pollution caused by standing traffic?

So save the green belt? Very definitely, yes.

Be prepared to accept minor amendments to reduce traffic pollution? Yes.

Amend the green belt to build housing estates. No thanks.