Protections for the green belt

That this House expresses its concern about building developments on green belt land; notes that the Secretary-General of the United Nations has said that humanity is becoming a weapon of mass extinction; further notes that the extinction of wildlife species has a knock-on impact on the wider ecosystem and causes escalating levels of environmental destruction, which plays a significant role in climate breakdown; regrets that many local plans contain proposals to build on green belt land, including in an area of the Wakefield District that is home to ancient woodland and a number of rare and endangered bird and animal species; also regrets that the Government failed to support amendments to the Levelling Up Bill, which would have prevented building on areas with vulnerable and endangered species; believes that Parliament must do more to ensure that our country’s natural environment is protected; further believes that access to green spaces not only enhances quality of life, but also helps with mental health, tackling obesity and improving general health; recognises that there is a considerable need for new housing in the UK, but thinks that this should be built whilst limiting the damage to the natural environment and should be affordable for local people; calls on the Government to protect green belt land by adopting a brownfield first policy and tougher protections for endangered species; and further calls on the Government to ensure that local authorities have the final say over developments in their areas.