Save The Shire

A healthy natural environment, where people breathe clean air, drink clean water and enjoy the beauty of the natural world, lies at the heart of the kind of society and economy my Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues and I are keen to engender.

We are determined to extend National Parks and Areas of Natural Beauty (AONBs) so people can access the relative tranquillity and restorative benefit of landscapes of natural beauty.

Of course, planning policy should be updated to ensure the consistent protection of landscapes which are especially conspicuous and iconic. This is best achieved through the establishment of local policy, which makes clear where such development can and should not be permitted.

However, it would be wrong to suggest that “literary landscapes” (however defined) should always be preserved from anything. I remember studying the work of William Wordsworth, who famously opposed the construction of one of the most iconic railway lines in the country (through to Kendal in the Lake District) and one that preservationists now wish to protect at all costs! What we may now perceive as unacceptable in our landscape may well become an asset that future generations consider an essential part of the beauty of that locality. We know that many of the now iconic Cornish mine stacks were opposed when plans were brought forward.

It wouldn’t be appropriate to establish a blanket ban on new solar, though I agree it would be wise to establish a clear planning policy which indicates where such development MIGHT and CANNOT be permitted. Not indicating those zones within local plans opens up many areas that would not be appropriate for the risk of such development.

My Liberal Democrat parliamentary colleagues and I want to drive a rooftop solar revolution by expanding incentives for factories, workshops, garages and households to install solar panels, including a guaranteed fair price for electricity sold back into the grid. That’s where the priority should be, and especially on all new housing.

I am keen to ensure that we have strong planning policies which protect our important landscapes.