Green belt campaigners to stand in council elections

[dutchman]

Protestors fighting plans to build 3,500 homes on green belt land in Keresley plan to contest seats at May's city council elections.

Campaigners from Save Our Green Belt have come forward to stand in the four wards affected by the house-building plans - Bablake, Holbrooks, Wainbody, and Westwood.

Villagers launched the campaign a year ago to protest over city council plans to build the new homes under its core strategy - which maps out future housing developments in and around the city for the next 20 years.

The strategy includes plans to build 33,500 homes, with the majority on brownfield sites but a portion earmarked for green belt land. The strategy was drawn up in response to Government targets for building new homes in a bid to cope with a growing population.

A Government inspector's review of the strategy looks set to be published shortly after the council elections on May 6 - and Save Our Green Belt plans to highlight the issue during the election campaign and, if successful at the polls, campaign against the strategy from within the council chamber.

Sue Smith, a Save Or Green Belt campaigner who plans to stand as an independent candidate in Holbrooks ward, said: "We'd love to win but, realistically, it's not going to happen.

"We're hoping to make the councillors sit up, listen and take notice."

Alex Iwanczuk stands as an independent candidate in Wainbody ward, while Merle Gering stands in Westwood as an independent, and Walter Milner in Bablake, also as an independent.

The next Save Our Green Belt campaign rally takes place in the city centre on Saturday, April 24. For more information about the campaign, visit http://www.save-coventry-greenbelt.co.uk