From the Bucks Free Press
A CAMPAIGN aimed at protecting Green Belt land under threat of development has been launched by Little Chalfont residents.
A site off Raans Road in neighbouring Amersham has been pinpointed as potentially being suitable for use for creating pitches for Travellers, as have two more in Lodge Lane.
All three sites are in Green Belt land but Chiltern District Council, which picked them for possible development, has said this does not necessarily mean they are suitable for use for Travellers.
Residents living in Old Mill Place, which overlooks the Raans Road site, have started a campaign group aimed at protecting the Green Belt from being built on.
Campaigners went round the village collecting signatures from residents at the weekend to form a petition protesting against the plans for a Travellers' site.
But group member Vivien Gray said neighbours are opposed to any form of development - and they will continue to resist any other plans for building on Green Belt.
She said: "Our objections are all of these proposed sites are on Green Belt. It's there for a reason, it's there to protect the environment and access to the countryside.
"It's a habitat for wildlife like hedgehogs, badgers and owls - they all need a home.
"It's a green cushion between us and Amersham. It's not who's coming, it's the fact it's any development at all.
"There's already a big problem with the roads, schools are oversubscribed. The Green Belt should mean something, it should mean you don't build on it.
"The Green Belt is under continuing threat. We need to be vigilent against the prospect of it being built on."
She added the group is focusing on the proposed Traveller site at the moment but said: "After that we will take stock and see what else there is of concern in this area."
Nine new pitches for Travellers need to be built in the Chiltern district by 2026, with a consultation over the proposals closing on Monday, October 14
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