Barbara has welcomed the statement that Salford Council Labour Group are likely to drop plans to develop Green Belt land at Barton Moss for industrial uses. Barbara has been campaigning on behalf of local people for vital green spaces like Barton Moss to be protected from development.

Councillor Derek Antrobus told Salford Labour Party’s Local Government Committee last night that there had been an overwhelming public outcry about the loss of Green Belt land. This plus practical concerns like the impact on local traffic meant he was recommending that councillors drop the plans.

Barbara opposed the plans to develop Barton Moss from the beginning and made her objections clear to the Council in response to their consultation on their Draft Core Strategy. She argued that local people have a right to keep their green open spaces and that if the proposal went ahead it would threaten the future of other Green Belt land, harm local wildlife, lead to congestion on local roads, increase pollution and reduce residents’ quality of life.

Welcoming the statement about dropping the plans, Barbara said:

“I am delighted that the campaign to save Barton Moss from industrial development has led to Salford’s Labour councillors listening to the objections which I and many other people made about the proposals. It is good that the councillors are listening to the concerns of campaigners like Jackie Anderson and many local people who wrote in about these proposals. It seems that Labour councillors now want to drop the development plans for Barton Moss.

“I would like to thank local campaigner Jackie Anderson for all her hard work in organising public meetings, protests and petitions to save Green Belt land at Barton Moss.

“Our open green spaces must be protected. I will continue to speak out against any further attempts to build on our Green Belt, including Peel Holdings’ recent calls for the Council to release additional Green Belt land for development. Labour Lead Councillor Derek Antrobus is also opposing Peel Holding’s development plans and I welcome his commitment to protect our Green Belt land.”