Beaconsfield MP Joy Morrissey writes exclusively to Bucks Free Press readers:

As we, at last, welcome the start of summer with hot weather and no more rain (finally!) now more than ever, people are taking the chance to really appreciate the beauty of the countryside and green spaces which surround us in south Bucks.

Most people moved here for the precise reason that it offered a much-needed escape from the hectic life of urban towns and cities, and also allowed people to be closer to the beauty and space of our countryside.

To see this all potentially threatened by the threat of expanding new housing proposals onto agricultural land and greenfield sites should therefore concern many of us.

Whilst the need for new housing is indeed real, we cannot spoil and threaten the very reasons that people chose to live here in the first place.

Furthermore, it is simply reckless to threaten the agricultural and ecological diversity which surrounds us at a time when we should be doing all we can to preserve our natural environment.

We must therefore ensure that any reforms to planning prioritises projects that take place on brownfield sites and protect greenfield and agricultural plots of land.

This needn’t be restrictive, however.

There are many creative and innovative opportunities to construct on brownfield sites, such as adding more floors to existing buildings by simplifying the planning system, which could encourage more developments on land that is already being used for housing.

Alternatively, we can see an increase in land used for different purposes being converted into good quality housing, such as empty office blocks.

Building on the Green Belt and agricultural land should truly only be a last resort, and right now I am not convinced that we are at that stage yet.