Editor's comment: Our green spaces are so precious - let's try and protect them

The snow has been falling in a way which seemed set in for the entire week - I wish this beast from the east would make its mind up.

A beast or a pussycat?!

Snow always feels exciting for about the first half hour doesn’t it, then for us adults the realities start to set in.

School runs, commutes all set to be disrupted, drives and cars to clear, and even that extra bit of household heating cos it’s so blooming cold.

All of a sudden we long for those carefree childhood snow days, when we remained oblivious to the conundrums faced by our parents, and the adult population at large.

This week development graces our front page, news that the only green space in Hawkslade is to be turned into homes.

This of course is bad news for the residents of Hawkslade, but this theme is one which I’m sure will be faced by name other housing estates around the Vale.

As the number of homes being applied for grows, how much more of our green community space are we set to lose?

Residents of Aylesbury are very lucky in the sense that we are so close to proper countryside - Wendover Woods, Waddesdon, Coombe Hill and beyond.

But it’s also nice to have those all important spaces where we directly live too - places where people can meet and host events, picnics, or even just take the dog for a walk.

It is those spaces that give us that all important bit of after work calm, and allow us to set off for a walk, or to take the kids for a swing when there isn’t time, or we simply are not able, to get in the car or on public transport and head for the hills.

To lose these all important assets would be a tragedy, and I call upon landowners, planners and developers to consider our collective quality of life when making these decisions.

Maybe I’m being naive, who knows?

You can send me an email to [email protected] or call me on 01296 619718.