Threat to Green Belt gets even bigger

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Sun 2nd Sep 2007

The Government's housing green paper published yesterday contains a bigger than ever threat to our green fields and green belt, according to Liberal Democrat county councillor Chris White, who leads the group at county hall.

Chris said today: 'It is clear from the green paper that there will be upwards revisions of regional housing targets contained in regional plans. This is of course why the Government announced last week that it was transferring strategic planning to the unelected and secretive East of England Development Agency.

'There is also a clear hint that local councils who try and resist Brown's bulldozers will not be tolerated.

'So if you thought the current regional plan in Hertfordshire was a recipe for urbanisation and the loss of our green belt, you ain't seen nothing yet.

'People in St Albans, Welwyn Garden City and East Herts have particular reason to fear Government policy on housing.'