Save these two green areas from development - from page 1

Both schemes have proved controversial, with city residents not wanting to lose swathes of their parkland and nature escapes to bulldozers. However, the council has said the city needed houses, and that it had a duty to provide them. Now, though, Councillors Patrick Kitterick and Hemant Rae Bhatia, who represent the Green Party and the Conservatives on Leicester City Council respectively, have called on the authority to remove the two sites from the Local Plan. A motion submitted by the Castle and the Beaumont Leys ward councillors ahead of earlyJuly’s full council meeting calls on the authority to “note the concerns of people in the west of Leicester at the proposed loss of valuable green open space at Beaumont Park and the former Western Park Golf Course in the city”. It also asks the authority to agree that the council “believes it is not too late to act to save these sites from development and instead focus more effort on bringing forward brownfield sites in Leicester [for development]”, and that the council, therefore, “agrees to withdraw Beaumont Park and Western Park Golf Course from the list of proposed sites for development from the Leicester City Local Plan at the earliest possible opportunity”.

The old Western Park Golf Course, perhaps the most controversial and certainly the most commented-on site in the plan, became a political battleground during this year’s local elections as parties weigh in on whether it should be built on or protected. The local Conservatives had pledged to “apply for a special status for Western Park Golf Course to create a nature reserve within the city with the idea that we will attract wildlife and species for us all to enjoy”. Coun Rae Bhatia said the people of Leicester would be watching “very closely” to see how other councillors vote on this week’s motion.

Leicester West MP Liz Kendall spoke out recently over the possibility of the two sites being concreted over. She has launched a petition to save Beaumont Park, saying there are other parts of the city that could be developed instead. Ms Kendall had also written to the council in 2020 to raise concerns about a number of sites, including Western Golf Course, and called on the council to listen to local views.

Solution

On Page 20

BEWARE OF THE DOG?

THE NUMBER of dog attacks recorded by police in England and Wales has risen by more than a third in the past five years, from 16,000 to 22,000 in 2022.

Dog attacks are currently costing the NHS more than £70 million a year.

As one expert has put it: “We are in the middle of a companion dog crisis.” So, what is going on?

For one thing, there were 3.2 million puppies born during the pandemic, when they were not able to socialise and attend training classes. By now, they are young adults, with loads of energy but little knowledge of how to behave.

Another problem is that although dogs seldom attack without some warning, a lot of people are failing to spot the warning signs. Not only that, but the owners then can engage in behaviour which actually increases their dog’s distress.

When people don’t realise what behaviour can trigger their dogs to snap or bite, they put themselves and others at risk, especially where young children are concerned.

Many experts would welcome a public information campaign, and improved access to dog training, to help to address some of the current issues.

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