My top priority for 2022 is protecting our green spaces and particularly preserving our Green Belt land in the south of the county. The last two years have taught us how precious these spaces are, their importance to the character of our communities, and the vital role they play in all of our health and wellbeing.
We are uniquely placed in south Buckinghamshire, in that the green spaces that mean so much to us, are also incredibly important to our neighbours in London. If you live in the west of the city and want to get out into the wonder of the English countryside, the chances are you will end up in Buckinghamshire.
Without the green spaces that we provide there will be nowhere for people to go, nowhere for London to breathe. In many ways we are the lungs of London in Buckinghamshire, but we can only continue to be so if we have proper protection for our Green Belt.
My campaign is centred around getting more protections in place for our Green Belt. We are lucky to have some fantastic local assets in the south of the county such as the Colne Valley Regional Park and Burnham Beeches. These are the building blocks for securing our green spaces in the future.
I was delighted, a few weeks ago, when the Prime Minister agreed to help me secure more protections for the Colne Valley Regional Park at PMQs. I think the best way to do this, and to secure the future of the lungs of London, is to extend the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty to cover the Colne Valley Regional Park, Burnham Beeches and the surrounding villages.