PETITION STILL OPEN WARNING - PLEASE ENTER YOUR HOUSE NUMBER, STREET AND POSTCODE WHEN YOU SIGN THIS PETITION TO CONFIRM YOU ARE A SEFTON RESIDENT<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

12th August is the closing date of a very serious 3 month consultation with Sefton Council on potentially building 1000's of houses on Green Belt Land near to our homes in the Sefton Borough Area. Sefton Council will then decide which of the 3 options below to progress.

1. URBAN CONTAINMENT - (270 homes per year) - NO DEVELOPMENT ON GREEN BELT

2. Meeting Identified Needs (480 homes per year) approx. 4000 homes needed in Green Belt

3. Stabilising Sefton's population - (650 homes per year) approx 6,500 homes needed in Green Belt

It is understood that any development will include affordable and social houses. To enable this you would assume building at high density, including flats and terraces, which is not in keeping with the balanced area we now enjoy.

HOW WILL THIS AFFECT YOU AND YOUR PROPERTY ?

- Our area will become more urbanised, taking away our relaxed, balanced way of life and semi-rural environment.

- Our narrow roads and lanes will become conjested with increased traffic and noise where our children school and play

- Increased pressure on all our local services like Schools, Doctors, Dentists, Buses, Post Office, Shops and Parking

- More strain on our problematic and already over-utilised drainage systems

WHY THIS IS WRONG:The population trend/housing data used in the study is out of date, and the need to build on our Green Belt has been disproved by a resident with a significant understanding and analysis of the facts. Our population is in decline and there are 3000 long term vacant houses in Sefton with many Brownfield sites available. Our Green Belt locally is farmed very productively and is amongst the most productive A1 agricultural land in the country, growing more crops per acre than anywhere. With world food prices forecast to double over the next 10 years, world polictical instability and climate change, we need to become self-sufficient in food production and reduce our carbon footprint. Only 2% of the country has the highest grade of agricultural land and we in Sefton have a significant amount of that. What political mentality and lack of 'joined-up thinking' would want to concrete over this valuable and vital resource forever ? If an area becomes overpopulated and urbanised with lack of green spaces, with all the social problems that can bring, we end up spending lots of money, time and effort fighting crime, anti-social behaviour, and other social problems. So why when an area has a good balance, nice semi-rural environment, and quality of life like ours, would we want to develop it to the extent of other urban areas that would desire what we have. Most recreational land in Sefton has already vanished thanks to bad planning. Residents use Green Belt for walking, jogging, cycling and horse riding, it is part of this area's heritage. We must not lose this fine balanced environment

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO STOP THIS : We feel that the council should progress under option 1 URBAN CONTAINMENT - NO BUILDING ON GREEN BELT in Sefton. If you agree and want to stop this environmental vandalism, the most effective method is in writing to the Core Strategy Team before the consultation ends on August 12th to:

David Robinson. Local Planning Team, 1st Floor, Magdalene House, 20 Trinity Rd, Bootle. L20 3NJ or email the Core Strategy Team at core.strategy@sefton.gov.uk

If you object to building on Sefton's Green Belt please sign this petition. Please enter your house number, street and postcode so that we can verify to the council you are a Sefton resident. Comments are welcome and will be fed back to the council. (N.B You have to enter your email address on signing, but this does not appear for other petition users to view)

DO NOT ASSUME OTHER RESIDENTS WILL FIGHT THIS BATTLE

ALL RESIDENTS NEED TO OPPOSE THIS NOW, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE AND OUR GREEN BELT IS TAKEN FOREVER

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