MINISTER Eric Pickles visited Thornbury to support Prospective Thornbury and Yate MP Luke Hall following the Conservative pledge to protect the green belt.

The Secretary of State for communities and local government was taken to Daggs Allotments in the town – one of the oldest in the country on Thursday, April 16.

He reiterated the Conservative manifesto promise to protect the country’s green belt land.

“Green belts are there so that different conurbations don’t bump into each other,” he told the Gazette.

“If the green belt wasn’t there then Bristol probably would have swallowed up Thornbury and many other towns and villages in the area.”

He added: “Development on the green belt can only happen under very special circumstances – housing is not one of them”.

Mr Pickles also urged Thornbury to create a local plan to protect itself from unwanted development.

“I think that the system we’ve put in place has been more helpful to communities so that they can ensure that they get the development that they want,” he said. “Eighty per cent of the country is covered by a local plan.”

Asked whether this would be hindrance in meeting house building targets he added: “When asked about the plan I don’t quote Marx I quote Spiderman’s uncle who said “with great power comes great responsibility” people want to build homes for their children so there will be no problem getting homes built.”

Luke Hall has said that he will work with communities across the Thornbury and Yate constituency to help them develop local plans.

“What I’m committing to is helping councils as much or as little as they want me to to ensure that they all have local plans to protect them from development they don’t want.”