The Green Party strongly opposes the new Leisure development proposed near the Gosforth Nature Reserve by the American developers ‘Max a Millions’. There are several reasons why this development is of the wrong kind and in the wrong place. Such land should be used to enhance outdoor opportunities (walking, jogging, cycling, wildlife conservation work, etc.), all of which are not only healthier but free than the facilities proposed by Max a Millions. At the same time it should become part of a large-scale ‘buffer zone’ of trees and other vegetation around Gosforth Nature Reserve, a jewel in the local wildlife crown.
- Gosforth Nature Reserve is a jewel in terms of local wildlife. All over the country, biodiversity is declining. We must not protect but also enhance such vital areas. That includes surrounding land.
- In previous campaigns, we know from signatures collected on petitions that people come from all over to the Gorsforth reserve so it is not just a Green lung for Newcastle but for a much wider area.
- The land around such sites is vital for foraging and nesting. There must be ‘safety belts’ around core wildlife reserves as well as corridors connecting them. ‘Postage stamp’ sized conservation will fail.
- That wider area could also be used to provide healthy recreational opportunities such as walking, jogging and cycling. It is time to stop talking about ‘healthy cities’. It is high time do something practical to address the all too obvious signs of unfitness and associated ill health across society.
- Recreational opportunities must be nearby: the farther away the less people participate.
- The ‘leisure centres’ provided by green spaces such as the land around Gosforth Nature Reserve are not only accessible but also free.
- Commercial leisure centres are often costly. The development proposed for the Longbenton site is little more than more a glorified computer games arcade surrounded by big car parks.
- Car-based developments must be opposed. This week has seen major air pollution problems in many parts of the country. The excessive level of traffic is a major cause of unhealthy air quality as well as a driver of dangerous climate change.
- Growth-oriented development plans are threatening green spaces all over the North East, not least, very recently, Woolsington Woods. Even when one threat is defused, such as Persimmon’s attempted grab of the farmland at Heathery Lane, growth policies inevitably mean that the threats keep coming back.
- Only a switch to a different kind of economy, a sustainable ‘steady-state-economy, can solve this problem. The Green Party will be making this shift in attitudes and policies one of the key aims for the upcoming General Election.
Sandy Irvine, chairman of Green Party in Newcastle, said:
“We want to make surviving green spaces accessible to everyone to encourage them to enjoy healthy recreation for free.
“The idea of creating a big buffer zone around Gosforth Nature Reserve is to protect the wildlife but also provide healthy recreational opportunities for people to walk, cycle, jog and otherwise keep fit. The land round Gosforth Nature Reserve should be treated as prime green lung for the city.”