Burnley Express readers letters: Burnley planners need to protect our green belt

Our MP Oliver Ryan tries to blame the current Local Plan on the current administration, when those of us who have lived here long enough to know, are aware the terrible plan was drawn up by Labour and former head of planning, Sue Graham, which in itself is surely a no, no.

Sadly also people seem to get mixed up with national versus local. Despite what the politicians will tell you, Burnley does not need more housing, we have over a thousand empty homes and the only reason the population is growing, is because Burnley Council has allowed more building, so more people have moved here.

What Burnley needs is more social housing and bungalows, but surely our beautiful countryside is more precious than destroying it simply to pander to the Government's new unachievable targets and for greedy developers?

Burnley Council has made millions out of developments across the town, but where have these incentives gone?

They have up to seven years to spend the money, but surely a town which constantly has its council tax put up because of a apparent "lack of money", would use the incentives asap to upgrade the empty homes and make the town's infrastructure better.

At the end of the day, we need green fields for farming and for our well being and to justify building on it, to cope with the so call need is completely wrong.

Burnley planners need to protect our green belt, not re-class it as white or grey belt to justify building on.

Instead, use brownfield land and stop building huge business parks, like the one on Rossendale Road, where units will lie empty for years and have only been built due to Government grants.

If planners and councillors don't take a grip now, our beautiful town will be ruined, something the out of touch MP and self interested politicians will endorse.

After all, they make sure they live out of the way of the mass housing potential sites, which says it all!

Joseph Desmond

Standen Hall Drive

Briercliffe