Test Valley Borough Council support for new Green Belt

We are excited to report that on 26 February, Test Valley Borough Council voted unanimously in favour of a motion to support the principle of a new South Hampshire Green Belt, and our many thanks to Councillor Nick Adams-King, Deputy Leader of Test Valley Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Planning, Transport & Romsey, for proposing it to Full Council and to the members for their positive votes.

As Hampshire’s countryside charity we have seen a renewed understanding of how important local green space can be to people’s health and wellbeing. This confirms a study we completed last year to look at the value of a new South Hampshire Green Belt, designed to prevent urban sprawl from the cities and to prevent the coalescence of our rural towns and villages. A South Hampshire Green Belt is part of our strategic vision for the county and the study forms a key part of our long-term campaign to establish new Green Belt in this area. A Green Belt does not prevent all development but entails strategic spatial planning and encourages urban regeneration as the first and most sustainable approach to providing homes and building communities.

Councillor Adams-King moved: That the Council supports the principle of a South Hampshire Green Belt designation for the countryside surrounding the cities of Southampton and Portsmouth and continues to support the Partnership for South Hampshire in its work on investigating the rationale and justification for an appropriate Green Belt designation or other forms of protection for the countryside to prevent coalescence of our towns and villages.

This is a really positive approach by Test Valley Borough Council, and we hope they will continue the good work. Please do get in touch with us if you want to know more about out Green Belt campaign, we have more information on our website. And nearly 15,000 people have signed our petition, across southern Hampshire, showing how popular it would be – so please add your signature if you haven’t already, and share with your friends and family – Protect South Hampshire’s countryside.

Caroline Dibden
Vice President