At a Glance
- Southend Greens joined residents on the High Street to defend remaining Green Belt land
- Calls for homes on brownfield sites first and affordable, energy-efficient housing
- Concern over 2,000-home proposal becoming a gateway to further development
- Green Party candidates and councillor outline need for community-led, sustainable planning
The Southend Green Party joined residents on Southend High Street on Saturday to highlight the urgent need to protect our precious Green Belt – and to push for the right homes, in the right places, at the right price.
Green Party candidates Kay Mitchell (Chalkwell) and Tricia Cowdrey (Shoebury), along with Cllr Richard Longstaff (Leigh), addressed the crowd and set out the Greens’ vision for responsible, community-led development.
Kay Mitchell said “Our planning and housing policies must deliver necessary homes in an environmentally sustainable manner. Local authorities must seek to address homelessness caused by unaffordability, push for rent controls, and new legislation over empty properties. With the climate crisis real and immediate, a commitment to retaining the greenbelt is essential”
Tricia Cowdrey added “speaking from a residents perspective this new proposal of 2000 homes is being seen by some as a success, a reduction of the 10,000 homes originally threatened. However if this plan is agreed the floodgates will open and local residents will suffer due to the inadequate infrastructure and the loss of our green belt.”
Cllr Richard Longstaff commented “We need the right type of homes, in the right places. Southend has acres of brownfield land with planning permission already granted, yet still untouched. Developers cannot be allowed to sprawl across the Green Belt simply because it’s cheaper. The Metropolitan Green Belt was created in the late 1800s to curb unchecked growth, and we must protect it today to prevent further urban sprawl.”
The Southend Greens will continue to stand with residents to defend the Green Belt and push for a housing strategy that serves people, not developers.