By New homes to be built beside Freshney Valley “goes directly against” climate crisis warning
An opinion piece by local Liberal Democrat candidate Roy Horobin
We face a climate crisis, and I’m worried our local political leaders are about to fail us. MPs Lia Nici and Martin Vickers, and our Conservative Council, led by Philip Jackson, are asking for £36m from the Government to bulldoze a new road straight through an area of outstanding natural value and then build 3,800 homes next to it.
This goes directly against the urgent warning of the UN report of the climate crisis issued on Monday.
The area is the Freshney Valley which lies behind Morrisons and stretches towards Wybers and Great Coates.
It’s an oasis, with a rare chalk stream and endangered species such as water voles, otters and peregrine falcons. Local people use it for the enjoyment of connecting with nature and relaxing in a calm atmosphere.
The recent Covid crisis has taught us the importance of green spaces for dog walkers, families and individuals. We need to keep this area.
But what about the £36 million of government money? We need to keep that but spend it differently. We need to build quality, affordable houses in town, and spend the money on regenerating our town centre so that Grimsby becomes an attractive area to live with art, events, music, art, homes, theatre, and cinema.
Other towns and cities are doing exactly that, so as retail use falls, town centres still remain the hub for social contact. Grimsby needs a buzz that makes people want to go to the town centre and live there.
If we continue to build on the edges of town, not only will we destroy green space and wildlife, we will ruin the character of our surrounding villages and still do nothing to stop our town centre from further decline and rot.
An online petition has been launched in response to the proposed Western Relief Road.
Find it here.
