BOROUGH councillors have reaffirmed their commitment to return Bedworth Woodlands to Green Belt.
They voted unanimously in favour of a motion that would protect the threatened countryside buffer between Nuneaton and Bedworth fromthe developers.
But a Conservative amendment to also include Weddington Fields and land at St Nicolas Park was defeated.
Councillor John Glass put forward the motion which was signed by all of his Labour colleagues.
He delivered the same motion to the full council nearly four-and-a-half years ago after a massive protest over plans to develop the Woodlands.
That came after more than 13,000 people signed a petition and a planning inspector ruled in favour of the protesters following a Public Inquiry.
Cllr Glass said: “We made a promise to the people of Bedworth then and if you think we are going to renege on it you have got to think again.”
Leader of the council Dennis Harvey echoed his sentiments: “All we are doing is reaffirming the council’s policy over Bedworth Woodlands,” he said.
Cllr Harvey said that there are other areas that are not in Green Belt like Weddington Fields and the land in St Nicolas Ward.
But he added: “We are here specifically to look at the Woodlands and when we have confirmed our policy about that we can still go on and look at other areas.’’
A battle is still raging over Weddington Fields where developers have been granted planning permission to build 326 houses following a Public Inquiry.
Protesters have launched an eleventh hour bid to have it designated as ‘village green’ to protect it from the bulldozers.
There are also concerns that land in St Nicolas Ward in Nuneaton will be lost to the developers.
Cllr Des O’Br ien, leader of the Conservative opposition at the Town Hall, told the full council meeting: “Let me make it perfectly clear that we will be voting for this motion. We have absolutely no problem with what it says.
“The concern of the Conservative Group from the beginning is with what it doesn’t say.
“It says absolutely nothing about similar areas of open, green countryside in, and bordering on, Weddington and St Nicolas Wards to name just two, hence our amendment.”
Cllr O’Brien added: “We have to say we are very sceptical about what will happen to the Woodlands after this motion is passed.
“This is the return of amotion proposed by Labour, and supported by us, four years ago.
“Yet in the two years since Labour regained control of this council, what have they actually done about having the Woodlands or any other area within the borough being designated as Green Belt? Nothing.’’
