Hands off our countryside

12.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Wed 11th Jun 2008

Local campaigner Stephen Kearney is pledging to be a champion for the local countryside as our next MP.

Many people are concerned about threats to countryside and Green Belt land in South Oxfordshire. Developers are queuing up to build housing in our area.

South Oxfordshire District Council is looking for a place to put 1,000 new houses - possibly near Thame. Some Conservative and Labour County Councillors want to build in the Green Belt near Oxford.

But with the Government wanting to build thousands of new houses each year, nowhere in South Oxfordshire can be considered safe from development.

Even after recent flooding problems, the Government still seems set on building more houses on flood plains.

Stephen Kearney said, "This is a beautiful part of England. The countryside is central to our way of life here. I will always fight alongside local residents and community groups to protect it as our local MP."

Mr Kearney believes that local people should be given much more of a say about development in their area.

He added, "There is need for more low cost housing to help children of local people get on the property ladder. But this should be tackled through small low impact schemes in consultation with local communities."