Jo Schofield
Residents from all over Oxfordshire attended the Protect Vale Green Belt Walk on Sunday morning (24 January) to express their concern about plans to develop large parts of the Green Belt around north Abingdon.
The walk was organised by members of the Need not Greed Oxon coalition to highlight the challenges faced by the Green Belt in North Abingdon, including SPADE – Sunningwell Parishioners Against Damage to the Environment, NALPG – North Abingdon Local Planning Group, and CPRE Oxfordshire.
Threats include proposals for 800 houses on Green Belt land outside the Abingdon perimeter road outlined in the Vale’s Local Plan and proposals for a new park and ride, lorry park, lorry driver facilities and freight transfer station in the Green Belt at Lodge Hill.
Almost one hundred people joined local campaigners for the 2.5 mile walk between the villages of Radley and Sunningwell along the Oxford Green Belt Way ( a 50 mile walk around the city of Oxford created by CPRE to mark its 75th birthday in 2007 ), including parish councillors from Radley and Sunningwell.
Next week the second stage of the examination into the Vale Council’s Local Plan starts (2 February). Local action groups, including SPADE, NALPG and CPRE will be at the hearings challenging the District Council’s proposals to build a total of 1,510 houses in the Green Belt in the Vale of White of Horse District.