Green Party condemns Green Belt plans

11 August 2009

Sheffield and Rotherham Green Party are opposed to all proposals to build on green belt farming land as outlined in the revised planning proposals by Rotherham Council. We are opposed to the conversion of land that will clearly be needed to grow food in decades to come. This is reinforced by the Government announcement this week on the need to grow more locally sourced food as the world faces future food shortages.

Co-Chair David Hayes says "The Council must re-examine the need to provide another 25,000 new homes when the population in areas like Rawmarsh has suffered decline not expansion. House purchase is beyond many low income households with even those on average household incomes in Rotherham, £21800 a year, facing an uphill struggle. These and other key indicators are in Rotherham MBC’s Strategic Housing Market Assessment from 2007.

Building new homes without any corresponding increase in employment would have to target commuters from Sheffield and elsewhere. This would further increase traffic flows in South Yorkshire and contribute nothing to the sustainable regeneration of Rotherham.

The Green Party has not been as active as we would like in Rotherham in recent years but we are determined to work alongside opposition groups campaigning against these unnecessary and damaging proposals."

ENDS

Promoted by Eamonn Ward on behalf of Sheffield & Rotherham Green Party, 73 Eskdale Rd, Sheffield, S6 1SL