CPRE launches fresh defence of Green Belt (From thisisoxfordshire)

CPRE launches fresh defence of Green Belt

4:42pm Friday 5th February 2010

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A CAMPAIGN group battling plans to build thousands of homes near Oxford’s Grenoble Road has released a document highlighting the importance of the city’s Green Belt.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE), along with Natural England, said land around the city must be protected to prevent Oxford falling victim to the “uncontrolled urban sprawl” spreading through Britain.

They claimed the area’s agricultural, environmental and historical importance were reasons why it must not be built on.

Last month, we revealed the South East Area plan to build up to 4,000 new homes near Blackbird Leys was being challenged legally.

The Oxford City Council-backed scheme is on hold while a High Court judge reviews the plan.

CPRE Oxfordshire campaign manager Dr Helena Whall said: “By protecting land from development, the Oxford Green Belt has protected the setting of the historic city of Oxford and prevented the uncontrolled urban sprawl witnessed in many other cities.

“This report shows that the Green Belt is much more than a planning designation. It is a vital environmental resource that can help with the production of locally grown food, can support wildlife and can provide breathing places for city dwellers and others.”

The Oxford Green Belt was established more than 50 years ago and covers 66,868 hectares.

In Green Belts: a Greener Future, the two groups have vowed to protect the land by “continuing to uphold existing Government planning policy, focusing on better land management, maintaining and improving the Green Belt’s ecological network and encouraging more public use of the area”.

Oxfordshire CPRE believes it secured a High Court victory in September, when the Government admitted its plan was flawed. It agreed to remove any references to a strategic development area south of Oxford from the South East Plan.

Dr Whall added: “The report confirms that the countryside around the city of Oxford is a vital, but fragile, environmental asset.

“We must not sacrifice the health of the city of Oxford and the surrounding environment by allowing plans to build homes in protected countryside.”

Nationally, Green Belts cover 13 per cent of the land surface, with 30 million people living in or next to one.

Michael Crofton-Briggs, head of development at the city council, said: “We are currently awaiting the outcome of the legal challenges to the South East Plan.

“The delays are outside our control and we are still awaiting the formal court decision.”

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