The alternative is bleak – an environment increasingly unable to meet our needs, struggling wildlife populations becoming more vulnerable to local extinction and a poorer quality of life for people living in Hampshire and on the Island.

The Trust had been invited, along with local authorities, statutory agencies, business leaders and housing developers, to participate in the second phase of the Examination in Public (EiP) for the draft Plan which was held in Chichester last week. The Plan was produced by the South East England Regional Assembly in 2006. The EiP is a chance for the Inspectors appointed by the Government to listen to arguments for and against the proposals set out in the Plan before deciding whether to ratify the document as the major planning tool for the region until 2026.

In presenting arguments against some of the proposals in the Plan the Trust’s Chief Executive, Mrs Sue Walton, argued that, whilst it is agreed that a strong economy is important to the wellbeing of the region, this must not be at the expense of the environment on which we all depend. “We fear insufficient weight is being given to scientific evidence of the inability of the environment to take much more” she said. “Locally, nationally and globally the environment is almost at breaking point. The evidence is there for anyone prepared to take notice and accept that we cannot continue to put more and more pressure on our natural resources and expect them to cope.”

Commenting further on the specific proposals for the south Hampshire area, which includes an additional 80,000 houses by 2026, she said “Air quality, water availability, coastal damage, loss of biodiversity and climate change are just some of the issues we really need to tackle before we go too far down the route of significant additional development. Many of the proposals will demand too much of our environmental resources, relying heavily upon ‘demand management’ - that is each one of us making substantial lifestyle changes. Unfortunately there is little evidence to date that enough people are willing to change their way of life sufficiently to have any meaningful impact on the environment. And who can blame them when the reward for leaving the car at home, giving up the power shower and switching off the TV standby mode is simply freeing capacity for building expansion? Until we tackle this inertia and start to conserve what we have we must proceed with caution.”

In pressing the case for a more considered approach to regional development, particularly around our many nationally and internationally important wildlife sites, the Trust has argued for a robust examination of environmental impact and a proactive approach to longer-term planning. “This Plan looks at the next 20 years,” said Mrs Walton, “but we should be looking much further ahead if we want to make sensible decisions today about the kind of place we want Hampshire and the Isle of Wight to be in the future. Wouldn’t it be fantastic if this generation went down in history as one that genuinely looked beyond its own lifespan to safeguard the environment that our children’s children will inherit?”