Campaigners praise environment protection

Countryside campaigners have praised Hertsmere for being one of the top authorities in the country when it comes to protecting the environment.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) rated local authorities who are working with developers and leading the way in breathing new life into towns and sparing the countryside from the bulldozer.

Out of more than 300 councils in England outside London, 43 have at least 90% of their new homes built on previously developed, brownfield land – as opposed to never developed greenfield land.

Fifteen of those councils achieved a land recycling level of at least 95%, with Hertsmere being one of the top performers at 96%.

Henry Oliver, CPRE’s Head of Planning and Local Government, said: ‘We warmly congratulate these councils. We’re delighted that there has been such strong progress across the country by council planners and developers in raising the level of land recycling.”

Cllr Rebecca Foy, portfolio holder for Resources and Performance Improvement, said: "We work hard to ensure that we are listening to our residents and protecting our green belt wherever possible. It is vital that in an area such as Hertsmere, where we have towns, villages and rural areas, our developments support and enhance the character of our environment.

"I am very pleased our efforts have been recognised by the CPRE and the results show Hertsmere's commitment to maintaining the green belt."

Richard Grove, Hertsmere’s head of Planning and Building Control, added: "Hertsmere develops its planning policies to protect the environment. The 96% figure actually dates back to 2004 and since then we have seen our figures rise to 99%."

The Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England by encouraging the sustainable use of land and other natural resources in town and country. The full report can be seen on its website at: www.cpre.org.uk/campaigns/planning/stopping-sprawl/index.htm.