Leave Green Belt intact (From The Oxford Times)

Leave Green Belt intact

6:00am Thursday 19th February 2009

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Sir – CPRE Oxfordshire is deeply concerned to note that the city has enlarged the site for the so-called ‘Northern Gateway’ to Oxford at Pear Tree, by a third, increasing it to about 60 acres, taking in a stretch of Green Belt, lying south of the A40, and a piece of Green Belt to the north at Peartree Hill Farm (Report, February 12).

We see no justification or rationale for the city to take any Green Belt land.

Moreover, no such plan was suggested in the city’s consultations to which we responded. CPRE made it clear during consultations that we do not support development outside of the two sites specified in the Preferred Options and Strategic Housing Land Availability Assessment (SHLAA) map, ie, the 11.5 ha A40/A44/A34 triangle site and the 4.5-hectare site east of the A44. The announcement that the city has enlarged the area of the proposed business park to take in Green Belt makes a mockery of the consultation process which we have been stakeholders in.

CPRE Oxfordshire urges the city to contain the proposed development within the site originally consulted on and to leave the Green Belt intact.

Helena Whall, Campaign manager, CPRE Oxfordshire

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