Vote Lib Dem on Thursday 29th to protect our green spaces in Grappenhall and Appleton Thorn

Who has really fought to protect our green spaces? Who will carry on fighting for residents? Your local Lib Dems of course!

Since the first version of the Local Plan arrived in 2017 your Liberal Democrat team have led the opposition to planned over-development and poorly thought-out schemes to build thousands of homes and huge warehouses - with no supporting infrastructure - in South Warrington.

Over the past five years we have:

• Held public meetings and street surgeries to keep residents informed
• Joined up the Parish Councils to oppose the plans
• Organised protest marches
• Fought the Stobart's application
• Supported getting expertise from planning experts and a barrister, to speak for the people of South Warrington at key public meetings

The Tories have said they will protect our green spaces and environment, but we fail to see how. For a start our Tory MP Andy Carter voted to allow raw sewage to continue to be discharged into our rivers and streams, and now the Government has lifted the ban on fracking.

The thousands of houses proposed in the Local Plan are based on inflated Government targets so whilst we hear vague promises to prevent building on green belt the reality is that the Tory Government is mandating exactly that.

There is little evidence of that other Tory promise that local people's views will be considered. Thousands of local people wrote to the Borough Council objecting to the plans to decimate our green spaces and the Council has been allowed to ignore them.

Mark Browne, Liberal Democrat candidate in the Borough Council by-election for Grappenhall ward said: We are proud of the work the Lib Dems have done to protect this part of Warrington from the overdevelopment of WBC's poorly thought out and un-costed local plan. We have always said we need the right number and type of houses in the right place. We must hope now that the Planning Inspector who has been reviewing the plan has listened to the views we have put forward on behalf of local people.

Fellow Liberal Democrat candidate Helen Speed spent her whole career working in the NHS. Helen is very concerned about the environmental impact of the Local Plan, saying: With potentially thousands of extra lorries and cars on our roads every day we already know that congestion and air pollution is going to skyrocket. It's very clear that poor air quality is a killer, and many younger and older people are likely to suffer with asthma and other breathing problems.

Your local Liberal Democrats will continue to fight the inappropriate development planned for Warrington. We need a plan that reflects what local people want and need as well as protecting our environment from harm.

P.S. If you live in Grappenhall, don't forget to vote for Liberal Democrat candidates Sarah Jenny Marsh and Leila Williams for Grappenhall & Thelwall Parish Council!