ON MONDAY it is the 60th anniversary of green belts.

In August 1955, the then minister of housing encouraged local authorities to designate land as green belt for the first time.

The Oxford green belt was established in 1958.

The key objective was to ring-fence the relentless expansion of cities which had begun to blight our landscape.

Other purposes of green belts were to provide easy access to open countryside; to protect surrounding towns and villages from being engulfed by the city and to protect the setting of the historic city of Oxford.

By constraining the growth of Oxford it also helps ensure that the benefits of economic growth are distributed around the County.

The green belt is a key element in making Oxford and Oxfordshire an attractive place to live and work and of Oxford’s economic success.

From the start the government stressed that the essence of the green belt is its permanence.

The Oxford green belt has served, and continues to serve its purpose well.

Moreover, it remains overwhelmingly popular with Oxfordshire residents. According to a recent CPRE survey, 76 per cent of Oxfordshire’s residents believe the green belt should remain open and undeveloped, with 66 per cent seeing new housing development as the greatest threat.

So why are the local authorities, elected to protect us, reviewing it for housing development?

And why are so many houses being proposed on green belt land when recent government guidance is clear that development in the green belt can only occur under “very special circumstances”?

They should instead be listening to the clear wishes of their electors and protecting the Oxford green belt.

We want to see the Oxford green belt here in its entirety, to be celebrated again in another 60 years’ time.

BRIAN WOOD 
Chairman, CPRE Oxfordshire
Dr IAN SCARGILL 
Chairman, Oxford Green Belt Network (OGBN)
PETER JAY 
Chairman, Rural Oxfordshire Action Rally (ROAR)
Dr PETER HARBOUR, Dr ANDREW TURNER & TICIA LEVER 
North Abingdon Local Plan Group (NALPG)
Dr BOB MCGURRIN 
Chairman, Woodstock Action Group (WAG)
BOB WARNE 
Chairman, Sunningwell Parishioners Against Damage to the Environment (SPADE)
PETER SNOW 
Secretary, Keep Cumnor Green (KCG)
ALAN LODWICK & LINDA WARD 
Kidlington green belt
Development Watch