Why destroy the very thing that tourists come for?

IT IS WITH dismay that I learnt of plans submitted to build houses on a hitherto greenfield site on Oberlands, St Martin's. What folly. Pasture, with its capacity for carbon sequestration, is one of the most important defences against rising temperatures and climate change disaster. Guernsey may well have a housing shortage, but replacing green spaces in a rural setting with housing of the type proposed will not solve the issue. It will simply degrade the environment for all and contribute to even greater existential problems. As a regular visitor to the island, I can assure the authorities that the attraction of Guernsey for tourists lies not just in its beaches – for sun and sea The Mediterranean is a far cheaper alternative. No, the island's charm lies largely in its as yet unspoilt inland parishes, the green lanes, banks, wild flowers, small scale agriculture and the accessibility of countryside. To allow building to encroach on this is madness: why destroy the very thing that tourists come for? The built-up environment is what we mainlanders are trying to escape when we visit Guernsey. We recognise on the island all that we have lost by not protecting our greenbelt land. The only people to benefit from creeping urbanisation are the developers. The States should rethink their housing development policy and forbid all future construction on green fields. If not, the island will lose its tourists and the income they generate.