Protests over closure of two golf courses
Two separate plans to concrete over two golf courses, one in Oxfordshire and one in Berkshire, have led to protests from local people who do not want to lose green spaces.
More than 250 people have walked on the Oxfordshire Way footpath to protest plans by a developers to replace Waterstock Golf Course with an industrial warehousing centre and lorry park.
Greystoke has submitted the site for development in the forthcoming Oxfordshire Local Plan and if accepted it would be removed from the green belt and developed.
Local resident Henry Manisty said: “This is yet another threat to Oxford’s green belt. The large number of walkers testifies to the widespread local opposition to the threat and how popular this green space is.
“We have limited time to raise awareness because the final list of sites will be published by the council in early summer.
“If Covid-19 has only taught us anything it’s how important green spaces are for our mental health and wellbeing. So concreting over a much-used local amenity on green belt is mad.”
Meanwhile, more than 100 people have gathered outside a town hall to protest against plans to build homes on Maidenhead Golf Course.
Protesters object to the building of more than 2,000 homes at the 132-acre green space site.
The homes form part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead’s local plan, which is where councils have to allocate a certain number of new properties in towns and cities across the country.
Campaigner Debbie Ludford said: “If it stays green, over time we can make even better use of the space. We can plant more trees and wildflowers, we can create ponds for wildlife and water storage, we can work with the golf club to share the space and maybe one day it will be a park for everyone with wellbeing and education activities there, a community centre, garden, walking trails, etc.
“I don’t know exactly what our community will choose for this space for the long-term, but what I do know is that this space will become more and more important for all of us if it stays green.
“If it is developed, it will have the opposite effect. We will have more air pollution, less wildlife, more flooding, and no chance of ever getting this precious natural resource back.
“I really believe that if we stand together, we can get this insane plan to ruin our environment here in Maidenhead stopped.”
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