Our response shows that there are a large number of previously-developed (brownfield) site in the borough which can accommodate new residential and commercial development and that there is no need to allocate protected green sites for development. 

We raise concerns that approaching a consultation in this way, asking questions about whether protected land should be considered for development, simply acts to increase speculation and opportunism which in turn creates pressure to release these precious, protected sites. 

More generally, we argue that the main priorities for the Local Plan should be: 

• Links to transport, in particular reducing car parking provision and enabling car-free development, so space can be more usefully deployed; and
• Taking an approach where neighbourhood and district/town centres are intensified so population increases mean local shops are better supported and so people (particularly those without cars) are within walking or cycling distance to amenities.