Unfair to close off green spaces

It’s really heartening to read so many letters discussing local issues.

Last week, Peter Carder expressed his concern for a wildlife site in Southwater and rightly says that if we are to comply with central government’s everincreasing house-building rates, we will need to build on farmland.

This is at least partly because central government policy allows luxury tower blocks to be built in London which are then often sold to wealthy investors (many from Russia or China) who then leave them empty.

If there were a policy to avoid this waste of ‘footprint’ then the need for so many fields to build on here would reduce and more homes may be available which more people could afford.

As to Warnham Nature Reserve, Peter rightly points out that it’s largely bound by dual carriageway - which is why it’s so important to support HDC’s ‘Wilder Horsham’ initiative (unanimously voted for by HDC) to allow for connectivity in nature. If the southern edge were to be cut off, then the wildlife would remain trapped and inevitably decline.

Another good point that Peter makes is that we will need to be able to produce more of our own food if we are to thrive in 2050.

Our soils are chronically depleted worldwide by industrial farming, so the nutritional value of our food has decreased, leading to the bizarre western dilemma of malnutrition

coupled with obesity.

In contrast with most ‘green desert monoculture’ farms, Rookwood is rich in wildlife and varied habitats which have thrived due to the organic methods used by the wonderful awardwinning greenkeeper, Stuart McDowell.

It is rich in healthy bacteria, and most of our new anti-biotics are found in healthy soil. The wildlife corridors allow the all-important connectivity, which in turn allows this wealth of health to be carried naturally throughout the county and beyond: a natural vaccine if you will!

In other areas of the district the towns are close to wild green spaces. Is it fair that the majority of the HDC population (around 60,000) who live in Horsham (and who have no town council to represent them) have their wild spaces closed off for ever? JOHNTHOMPSON HamiltonRoad

Horsham