Population rise must not come at expense of our countryside

YOUR Editorial (Yorkshire Post, September 24) expresses concern that the growth of Yorkshire’s cities will not now take place at the previously predicted rate. In addition to this, Jack Blanchard (September 25) reports that smaller places such as Scarborough will not experience large growths in population, but the underlying concern regarding this apparent lack of predicted population expansion appears to me to be with regard to money.

Apparently Yorkshire often fails to receive sufficient funding where regional development schemes are concerned and, reading between the lines, it appears to me that this situation will remain in situ if our regional population remains relatively static.

Let us put money aside and think carefully about the impact of a significant regional rise in population on the quality of life in this region. At this point I would like to point out that I do not believe that the National Census figures compiled in 2011 are accurate. Our porous borders and employment legislation have allowed vast numbers of people to come into this country. Most of these arrivals have followed legal procedures, but I assume that there are very many people who have simply “slipped through the net” and failed to renew their visas and disappeared. Being realistic, our authorities have absolutely no idea how many people are living in Leeds or anywhere else.

If extra housing for thousands of people is still a major regional requirement, it follows that people are still moving into this county and/or producing offspring here. Our green and pleasant land has already been built upon extensively in recent years, and the possibility of encroachment on more green- belt land becomes increasingly feasible as time passes.

Once again, our rivers are swollen and the threat of extensive flooding due to heavy late-September rainfall is ominously close. Too many dwellings have already been built on flood plains and common sense appears, yet again, to be in short supply regarding the issue of house-building.

I would also like to draw people’s attention to the ongoing issue of rising unemployment. If Yorkshire’s unemployment figures are about twice the national average, then people should not be encouraged to come here to seek work. This can only exacerbate the problems of the existing unemployment situation and put greater strains on our regional infrastructure. If Yorkshire remains one of the less densely populated counties in the UK, then is has the potential to remain one of the country’s leading tourist destinations. Not everyone wants to spend their leisure hours and holidays with crowds of people, and people who prefer solitude and/or relaxing activities such as walking would remain attracted to this county and boost the tourist industry.

To conclude, it is highly likely that the benefits of short-term injections of cash will be short-lived. However, the long-term benefits of preserving our county’s countryside and the potential for people to enjoy our good quality of Yorkshire life should be considered carefully as no amount of money con compensate for the destruction of natural beauty.