In yet another move apparently designed to demonstrate that the UK’s coalition government is the least green ever, the planning minister has announced plans to develop two million acres of greenfield sites.
Greenfield means “unspoiled”, i.e. an area that has not been developed before. In other words, the government is planning to allow huge stretches of previously unspoilt land to be sold off for a quick profit. There is little enough of the British countryside left as it is and absolutely no need to develop greenfield sites; there are plenty of brownfield (previously developed) sites available for new developments.
A minority government is not in a position to do whatever it pleases. It is there to serve the British public and the environment, not make profitable deals at the expense of our heritage.
Tell the UK government to put a halt to this ill-thought out and destructive plan immediately.
We the undersigned insist that you immediately stop trying to push forward plans to allow the development of two million acres of greenfield sites.
Your job is to protect Britain’s heritage and encourage sustainable development. It is not to allow unfettered development of the country’s little remaining unspoilt heritage. Letting developers build wherever they like is not the way to solve the housing shortage; there are plenty of brownfield sites and unused buildings that could be reused sustainably.
These ill-thought out plans are irresponsible in the extreme and unlikely to solve anything apart from answering the question of whether this government really is “the greenest ever”.
We ask that you put a stop to these plans immediately and get impartial, expert assistance before proposing any more solutions to the housing crisis. Furthermore, when it comes to ideas as reckless and unpopular as these, we suggest putting them on hold until your party actually has a majority government.
Thank you for your attention.
