Mike German Meets Nelson Campaigners

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 29th Aug 2007

Mike German met with the Nelson Village Green campaigners this week, who are fighting a planning application by the Welsh Assembly Government to put a business park on the greenfield site.

Local Welsh Liberal Democrat AM Mr German said: "More than anything right now, Wales needs green public space. Putting a business park on a greenfield space that is so highly valued by the local community is totally inappropriate, and goes against the government's own policy of focusing on brownfield sites.

"The local community have benefited from this open space for over 70 years. It was paid for by the Miners Welfare Fund, and now the government want to use it for a business park.

"I will be pressing the Assembly to withdraw this application so that the local people get their green space back. I shall support their cause at the meeting of the Petitions Committee.

"In the meantime, I will give the local campaign all the help I can to overturn the proposal. If Plaid and Labour want more office space, then there are plenty of brownfield sites available. I am concerned that the Assembly government is not acting in the best interests of the local community by taking away a green space that local people have enjoyed for decades.

"I shall be putting the group in touch with the campaigners behind the Cardiff reservoir campaign, who have done so much to protect their public open space."