19th May 2009

Four Green County Election Candidates from Gloucester (with family members) responded to the kind invite of 'Save Our Countryside' in Swindon Village to attend a walk around threatened County Council owned Greenbelt land on the edge of the village. Photo by Bryan Meloy

Bryan Meloy, candidate for Baron and Tredworth said: "These beautiful meadows are threatened with the building of around 5000 housing units and though the County Council has objected strongly to the SWRSS it is also looking to sell the land for the development. We were please to be present and support the campaigners in their communal efforts to protect our Greenbelt. The event though wet was very well organised with over 100 people walking and welcome stops for tea and cake during which the rain kindly abated - not sure how they organised the rain to stop but let us hope it bodes well for campaigners stopping this development."

Bryan Meloy added: "The housing targets for Gloucestershire over the next 18 years are 56,400 houses as imposed by the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the South West. This is vastly excessive and completely unsustainable. Gloucester Greens agree with campaigners that targets must be reduced, local need proven and that urban sprawl must be avoided."