Gillingham and Rainham MP Paul Clark has said the decision by the Planning Inspector to halt the process to approve Medway's planning framework could not be allowed to threaten Medway's green spaces.

He said that ample space for development had been identified by Medway Council and called upon local residents to rally in defence of the area's green spaces.

"If Medway Magna think this decision gives them a green light to concrete over our green spaces here in Medway, they can forget it. I know I speak for the area's other two MPs and the majority of local people when I say we will fight tooth and nail to protect Capstone Valley - and the same goes for other areas of my constituency, like Lower Rainham Road, where land owners have sat on green space for decades and now want to sell it to developers for a quick buck. This decision will only make people even more determined to protect the Capstone Valley and have these proposals thrown out once and for all," he said.

"The last decade has seen job opportunities in Medway increase beyond recognition, with huge amounts of government money poured into Rochester Riverside, the Universities at Medway's project and  Chatham Maritime. Medway's economy has been transformed as a result, people have better job opportunities than ever before, and we have managed to protect our valuable green spaces too. There is absolutely no reason that we should be looking to build over green spaces when we have such an abundance of brown field sites."

The Inspector's concerns over whether Medway Council has identified sufficient space for economic development have recently given rise to fears that Greenfield land like the Capstone Valley could be under threat. Medway Magna, a consortium of land owners in the Valley, has submitted proposals to build 9,250 houses and a new business park in the area.

More on this topic can be viewed at: http://www.paulclarkmp.com/capstonevalley