On 24 May, Ron Meldrum, Green candidate for Eastleigh, sent us the following email:
“The Green Party is the only party that has environmental and financial sustainability as its core axiom.
“The destruction of our green fields for housing is a result of the economic growth model particularly pursued by the Conservatives. They have allowed people to buy homes for investment and leave them empty, created many jobs attracting people from abroad to come and live in this country and increase demand for housing increasing the demand for housing and eased the laws on planning permission making it easier for development to take place.
“All this has resulted in the excessive building you are seeing across the South.
“When I lived in Bishopstoke, I initiated a campaign to stop houses being built on a piece of land next to cemetery, which was successfully turned down.
“Green Party recognises the need for further housing, but believe preference should given to those building carbon neutral homes and on brown field sites.
“We should of course oppose plan B and C as it will destroy open countryside for wildlife and future generations. I fear that the growth model of economics that most people seem to want vote for will simply put more and more demand on housing in this area. We will see more houses built, more roads built, more air pollution. If we really want to stop the housing being built and roads being built in this arena, we as society will have to change the way we do things. You could try voting for sustainability instead.”
Ron Meldrum, Green candidate for Eastleigh
