Julian’s Call for Evidence for Parliamentary Greenbelt Report
November 29, 2013
Julian has called on residents from across the region to submit their views on how Greenbelt land is protected and preserved for the future to a Parliamentary Group who are producing a report for Government.
The York Outer MP is himself a Vice Chair of the ‘All Party Parliamentary Group on the Greenbelt’, which is writing the report and currently consulting interested parties up and down the Country.
Julian is a passionate supporter of Greenbelts and their importance in preserving and enhancing the character and setting of our settled communities. More recently he has championed the opposition to the City of York Council’s draft Local Plan, which proposes 16,000 new homes, 80 Traveller and Showpeople pitches and over 40 potential wind farms on the City’s Greenbelt.
In support of his Parliamentary Group’s call for evidence, Julian said:
“With the future identity of a number of our great Northern cities in an uncertain position, as a result of unsustainable Local Plans produced by some local authorities, there has never been a more important time for Parliament to act to protect our Greenbelts. I am sure residents in York and the surrounding communities will be keen to share their experiences with the Group and highlight concerns over the impact the City of York Council’s draft Local Plan could have on their quality of life, if it is adopted in 2015.
“I would therefore encourage interested groups and individuals from across the region to air their views on how they feel Greenbelts should be preserved for the future. Responses and submissions should be sent to appggreenbelt@gmail.com or posted to APPG Greenbelt, Room 20, Norman Shaw North, House of Commons, SW1A 0AA, by no later than 31st January 2014. I am also happy for constituents to feed their views in through me.”
Pictured: Julian on York’s Greenbelt
Additional notes from the APPG’s Call for Evidence
In particular, the group would like to focus on issues including:
How can it be made clearer to the media the important distinction between ‘greenfield’ land and ‘greenbelt’ land- with the importance of greenbelt being highlighted as separate from greenfield.
What has been the effect of the abolition of Regional Spatial Strategies and the introduction of the National Planning Policy Framework in the context of the preservation of greenbelt land?
Which local councils are taking their obligations on greenbelt preservation seriously and which local councils are placing greenbelt land under threat?
What new policy ideas should be considered to increase greenbelt protection?
Should brownfield land in greenbelt areas have the same protection as Greenfield land in greenbelt areas?
How can we increase local community engagement in protecting the greenbelt?
How do we balance the need to sustain the greenbelt with the need for sustainable communities?
Should certain areas of greenbelt land be given higher protection than other areas?
What should the greenbelt look like for the twenty first century?
