Published: Friday, 17th October, 2008 12:00
Knight rubbishes green belt claim
By Lauren Everitt
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A POLITICAL party has asked council staff to look at potential sites to add to the green belt.
The Conservatives announced earlier this month that they had approached officers at the Royal Borough.
Cllr Alison Knight, lead member for planning and housing, took the unprecedented step of asking council staff to look at possible sites that could be added as part of a review of the green belt and the amount of houses being built in the Royal Borough.
She rubbished claims by the Liberal Democrats that the Conservatives have been making secret plans to build in the green belt. She said: “I am appalled by the scaremongering tactics of the Lib Dems, but it comes as no surprise, residents must not be fooled.
“We pledged to protect the green belt and I hope we have found a way of doing just that.”
The borough was told by a planning inspector last year that a green belt review should be undertaken which forced a cross-party decision to analyse the protected land.
Cllr David Burbage, leader of the council, said: “We face intense pressure from the Government to assess – and even release – green belt for future development but we are committed to protecting it.
“We are not making any secret plans to build. The Government has revealed that around 8,650 homes must be built in the borough by 2031.”
He added: “We will be consulting fully with residents about how and where we might have to build. 2031 is a long way away and we don’t believe that the increasing amounts of development being forced on our countryside are sustainable. In the meantime I’m delighted that we may actually be able to add to the green belt – a wonderful legacy for generations to come and a measure that will help protect more of our precious countryside.”
Further information is available on the website www.rbwmconservatives.com
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