Prescott's "sticky fingers" on green belt?
A massive business park is set to be built on land next to a university campus, fuelling fears over the future of Edinburgh’s green belt.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s proposals, including the development of 13 National Health Service-owned sites, have been attacked by campaigners and MPs for a lack of consultation.
There was particular anger over the future of Prudhoe Hospital, which is set in almost 400 acres of green belt land, after ministers revealed yesterday it was part of nationwide plans to build 15,000 first-time buyer properties over the next five years.
Other sites identified in the Government's report yesterday include: Birney Hill Farm near Ponteland; Hartlepool General Hospital; Killingworth Stores; Maiden Law Hospital in Durham; Homelands Hospital in Crook; St George's Hospital in Morpeth; Aycliffe Hospital; Stannington Children's Hospital; Cherry Knowle Hospital; Ashington General Hospital; Shotley Bridge Hospital in Consett and Tindale Crescent in Bishop Auckland.
Hexham Tory MP Peter Atkinson, whose constituency includes Prudhoe, said "He should keep his sticky fingers out and let the local people decide what they want.
"John Prescott is always banging on about regionalism. He should let local people make their own decisions in this case."
There has been no consultation by Mr Prescott's office on their ideas for Prudhoe despite local councillors and the regional development agency One North East calling for the site to be a business park.
English Partnerships will legally acquire the NHS sites at the end of March before launching the first-time buyer project.
In2Perspective, 26th January 2005
