John Howell the new MP for Henley has written to all parish councils within the Green Belt in his constituency urging that they should stay firm in the fight against a major urban extension of 4,000 houses in the Green Belt to the south of the city along Grenoble Road.

Earlier in the summer, Hazel Blears, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, backed a decision by planning inspectors to recommend a review of part of Oxford’s Green Belt in order to allow the 4,000 houses to be built.

In the letter to parish councils he criticised the government’s approach:

“Gordon Brown’s promises that he would protect the Green belt has been exposed as worthless.  The resulting Green Belt destruction will lead to urban sprawl, more congestion, more carbon emissions and a reduced quality of life.

And all those who said that this would be just the tip of the iceberg have been proved right.  Let’s not forget that the proposed Weston-Otmoor eco-town also eats into the Oxford Green Belt.”

With just two months to go before the latest consultation on the Grenoble Road proposals closes (24 October) he added:

 “With the holiday season now over, we’ve two months to show just how unsustainable the Government’s proposals are.  We couldn’t believe the Government when it said it would protect the Green Belt.  Why should we believe any promises now about this development – it’s clearly the wrong thing for South Oxfordshire.”