MP Joins Campaign

A LOCAL MP has leant their support to a campaign to prevent housing being built on green belt land.

 Dame Rebecca Harris MP for Castle Point joined campaigners from Save Hadleigh Farmland group to mark the milestone of their petition reaching 5,000 signatures.

 The group has been formed in response to The Salvation Army, who own the land, putting up parts of farmland for housing development as part of Castle Point Borough Council’s Local Plan.

 Residents have demanded the well-loved and historic land be protected, and are urging the council to remove it from its list of potential sites.

 Ms Harris added her support to these aims, saying: “I met with members of the Save Hadleigh Farm Land Campaign by the site itself to the south of Hadleigh.

 “This site, along with many other undeveloped sites in our local Green Belt, that I and many others have fought for years to defend, is truly valued by local residents.

 “It also helps form part of the semi-rural character of large parts of Castle Point.

 “Like many other Green Belt sites local residents treasure, it should absolutely be safeguarded against inappropriate development.”

 The Salvation Army has stated that it believes this section of land could provide “much needed housing” as well as new and improved community spaces.

 Leigh Town Council has also voiced its opposition to the plans. 

 Leigh Town Council Chairman, Bernard Arscott, said: “We raised our concerns over the development.

“It would have a negative impact on Leigh. It would have an impact on the infrastructure, we don’t have that to cope with the volume of properties proposed potentially on that land.

 “The green belt is also there for a particular purpose and this acts as the separation between urban areas. There is the potential that could be lost, with Leigh and Hadleigh then becoming one.”

Picture: MP Rebecca Harris with campaigners.

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