This in from Cllr Chris Whitehouse on behalf of Leader of the Isle of Wight council, Cllr Dave Stewart. Ed
Council leader Dave Stewart has said Conservatives will hold a Green Summit on the Island to look at ways of protecting the environment, if they win power next month.
The Island needs greater protection to enhance its beauty and safeguard wildlife so it can promote itself as a tourist destination while raising the quality of life for residents, he said.
He wants farmers, conservation organisations, business and the Island’s Green Party to be involved in the summit, which should look at formulating an action plan to protect the Island for future generations.
Dave said,
“We have a beautiful place here that is under pressure from population growth and housing needs so we must do more to ensure it stays a beautiful place and one that people want to visit and live in.
“This desire needs to be balanced against ensuring we have economic prosperity too, and I understand that can be difficult, but it is not impossible and we need to look long and hard at what we can all do to improve our island’s biodiversity, protect its outstanding beauty and find a way to drive forward a sustainable future.
“This is something the Conservatives are serious about. We have already implemented a plan to restrict grass cutting to allow wildflowers to flourish in the summer and I want to see more cycle lanes, more sustainable transport and a joined-up approach to finding answers to how we protect the Isle of Wight.”
Dave added he hoped organisations and the Greens would support the idea and attend any summit, if the Conservatives win in May.
“This is not about party politics because we all live on this island. This is about a joint, island-wide approach to do the best we can to protect our home.”
Image: Sean B Jack under CC BY 2.0
