DESIGNATE FOR CONSERVATION

I JUST wanted to comment on the two letters which your printed in ‘Your

Views’ December 4, about the Townsend Fold developments.

It mentions that the 1,300 people who have signed a petition do not fully understand the proposals for the development and it is just people who have houses which back onto the areas of land.

Firstly, 1,300 people do not live in houses which back onto the proposed development site. 1,300 people use this area for recreation as it is the only bit of accessible countryside left in the area.

We also know that proposals for a more substantial path could be built and the path changed from a footpath to a bridleway (although bikes do use this path every day).

The author mentions how the path further along is not picturesque as it goes through an industrial estate. Exactly the reason we don’t want this to happen to this area.

I wonder if the author is wrongly referring to upgrading the ’narrow path’ on the other side of the river which is not an official footpath. This path is under water when it rains heavily, as both sides of the river serve as flood plains.

The worry about development on the private land is also the access. The only access would be to build an ugly concrete bridge across the footpath. Mature trees will need to be cut down.

People know that the small piece of council owned land is not for development but this is a tiny bit of land in comparison to the rest of the fields and is not easily accessible.

I do feel that the only people who think that the destruction of beautiful ‘green belt’ countryside is acceptable are people who have no understanding of the need to protect countryside for health, people who do not live in the area in question or land owners wanting to make money.

Maybe a compromise would be to develop some of the area and leave as much as possible so this area could be turned into a conservation area in a way to protect it, as ‘green belt’ (which is supposed to protect urban sprawl until the councils think otherwise) no longer protects anything.

S. Haworth

Rossendale