What is the role of green belt if it is sterile?
Tony Juniper is chairman of Natural England, the government’s environmental watchdog, and former head of Friends of the Earth says something important, which is published in today’s Sunday Telegraph by their Environment Editor, Emma Gatten. . It is. “ parts of the green belt around England are pretty berefit of wildlife, have little value in terms of food production, and are closed off to the public”.
Think about what these words mean on the ground. Such land is sterile from the three points of view. Low or nil agricultural value. It plays no part in providing the space near urban areas residents need to improve their rights to roam: public open space in other words. And the land make little contribution to the needs of wild life. But the dash of green tint on a planners map somewhere will look nice, and we an drive by it from time to time. Rather like assessing the suitability of a new housing development from the point of view of a passing crow, a hundred meter above who is also flying by, which many of us do, by looking at an architect’s layout plan.
Well said Mr Juniper.
Ian Campbell
28 July 2024
