A developer is planning to build 650 houses on a beautiful stretch of countryside between Glenrothes and Leslie, where I walk my children to school along the nature trail (known as the Gypsy Trail.) If this area is covered in tarmac the herds of roe deer we see here every morning will have to cross dangerous roads to find new territory and will lose their established breeding grounds in the gorse thickets where we see the mothers with their babies every year. 

We are a neurodivergent (autistic family) and we rely on this walk for excercise, fresh (unpoluted) air, and to help with our anxiety/hyperactivity/sensory issues. 

We cannot imagine losing this beautiful place where all our children's memories have been made, and the stress of worrying about where the animals will live and how we will cope without it is heartbreaking. 

Whole woods will be lost to this development, woods where buzzards, harriers and kestrals nest and foxes will lose their hunting grounds. The hares' homes will be tarmacked over and they will be forced to flee. The geese will no longer be able to gather in these fields as they return from migration, and large populations of bees and other pollinators will be lost along with the insects and abundant berries the song birds feed on. The air quality in Fife will deteriorate further due to the proposed new roads which will affect the health of the community especially people with asthma.The area is also of historic significance as it is close to an iron age fort, and a ruined monastery. 

As a family we are financially limited as I am my husband's carer, but we have the fields and woods and the beautiful views of the Lomond Hills, and this is what we get up for every morning. My husband has expressed his sadness at the thought of never seeing the Gypsy Trail again, as he has been bed bound for almost a year with a back injury, and now he has had his operation he is looking forward to coming with us for walks again. By the time he can walk again it might all be gone.

If this area is destroyed the entire community will feel the negative impact of it. The village of Leslie will be swallowed up by the town of Glenrothes and village life as we know it will cease to exist.

Finally, if this safe and quiet place becomes a building site there will fewer places for women to run and walk alone safely. We will have to run the gauntlet of construction workers to walk our dogs and take our excercise, as we watch our valley disappear. It is important that we have somewhere where we feel safe and where our children can run free. 

Please stand with our community and help us preserve the beauty of this natural landscape for our children's children to enjoy.

Thank you.