In Parliament during a debate on the Green belt, Dr Neil Hudson MP raised his concerns that the Labour Government’s approach to housing could put Epping Forest’s Green Belt at risk against communities’ wishes, in the House of Commons.
In the debate, Dr Hudson outlined his concerns that Labour’s plans to arbitrarily reclassify some Green Belt land as Grey Belt land would impose top-down proposals against the wishes of local communities, and rip away the benefits of the Green Belt including those of the natural environment, biodiversity, and the positive impacts on wellbeing access to these areas have for local residents and visitors.
Dr Hudson has made defending Epping Forest’s Green Belt a key campaign pledge, raising it consistently as Epping Forest’s MP.
Following the Debate, Dr Hudson commented:
“We are blessed in Epping Forest with precious green belt and I will work hard to defend it. Once it’s gone it’s gone.”
“We all understand the need for more housing, but this cannot come at the expense of the natural beauty of Epping Forest and the benefits it provides, such as to our environment, biodiversity and the mental health benefits of having access to it. I will work as hard as I can to stop Labour’s imposition of top-down regulation and damage to our precious green belt.”
In the Commons Debate, Dr Hudson said:
“I congratulate my right hon. Friend and fellow Essex MP [Richard Holden, MP for Basildon and Billericay] on securing this important debate. His constituency, like mine, has precious green belt that is so important to the environment, biodiversity and our physical and mental health. I acknowledge the need for housing, but does he share my concerns about this Labour Government’s central top-down targets being imposed on communities against their wishes and, equally, their plans to reclassify some of the green belt as grey belt, thereby putting our precious green belt under immense pressure and danger?”
You can see Dr Hudson’s previous comments about the Green Belt here:
