THE campaign to stop housing developments in the Green Belt and the countryside moved up a gear when a top Tory MP met local Conservatives in York.

Sir Norman Fowler, Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, met district and county councillors from North Yorkshire at the Conservative Club in Acomb yesterday as part of the party's "Save Our Countryside" campaign.

The campaign was launched two weeks ago in the face of Labour Government moves to build on the Green Belt in Stevenage, West Sussex, Newcastle and Sutton Coldfield.

Sir Norman said: "It's important the development which takes place over the next few years should be concentrated as much as it can be concentrated on brown-field sites or re-used land.

"What we don't want to see is the destruction of the countryside and areas around our cities."

Mr Fowler said it was vital that new houses were built in city centres.

Coun Peter Sowray, chairman of North Yorkshire County Council's planning committee, told the MP that the Green Belt was not such a big issue for the county. What did need protection, he argued, were market towns and open countryside.

He said: "We feel development should be close to the area where demand is generated. To preclude the Green Belt would not be in North Yorkshire's interest.

"We are a very rural community and we have different priorities from elsewhere in the country.

"The only Green Belt is around York and between Harrogate and Knaresbor-ough. The big issue is development in villages and market towns. We don't want development to go crazy and swamp the character of these communities."

The Vale of York MP, Anne McIntosh, has added her voice to the campaign and set up a petition against Green Belt development in the Conservative Party office in Chapel Street, Easingwold.

She said: "North Yorkshire could be next, unless we say 'No' now. Labour-controlled City of York already has plans to allow a huge park-and-ride in York's Green Belt at Rawcliffe and a cattle incinerator at Rufforth."

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