Letter: All Three Major National Parties Are Relaxed About Green Belt Giveaways

Published on: 26 Nov, 2024
Updated on: 26 Nov, 2024

John Redpath

former R4GV borough councillor

In response to: Dragon Interview: Julia McShane leader of GBC’s Lib Dems

Well done to Martin Giles and Julia McShane for finally getting the interview done.

It was good to see Cllr McShane handling the questions better than expected, but I found it unfortunate that she still doesn’t appear to have a clue about the condition of GBC’s 5,000+ housing stock.

When I last looked, she was the portfolio holder for Housing, so not to know (even approximately) the basic figures for the state of council housing is a great concern and makes one wonder whether she has too much on her plate or is simply not that interested in the condition of council owned housing.

It was also quite clear from the interview that she can see little wrong with green belt development, and I agree with her that everyone should have the opportunity of a home, but green belt should be considered last for development and then, if it must be used, it should be used wisely and only in areas considered sustainable.

This interview makes it clear that all three national political parties at GBC see little wrong with building on the green belt, whether that be homes or solar farms. Unfortunately, at the 2023 elections, R4GV were damned for promoting development on brownfield sites, a sustainable alternative that helps protect the borough’s green and pleasant land.