Philip Hearn

I know just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place that deserves preserving for future generations. Our area has incredible green spaces to enjoy such as Chorleywood Common, the chalk stream of the River Chess and Whippendell Woods. It saddens me that the rural character of our area is in peril from uncontrolled developments, including on Green Belt and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) land. This has been demonstrated by recent applications for large numbers of new homes in both Chorleywood and Sarratt, both of which I strongly oppose. My fear is that if these proposals get the green light they may be just the start of many and I therefore will do all I can to stop these and similar developments in the future. I am concerned that a new Three Rivers Local Plan has again been delayed by the Lib Dems, this time until 2025!

Not only does this increase the likelihood of speculative developments being approved under the ‘presumption in favour of sustainable development’ but it also raises the prospect of new sites for development being added, potentially in this area. Such developments could destroy the rural feel and character of where we live for good and, based on how other new ‘cookie-cutter’ developments look, be totally out of keeping with our local architecture and not supported by appropriate infrastructure and public services. I will do all I can to protect our area by making sure that your voices and concerns are heard at the District level and are communicated to our local MP.