Leicester is a beautiful city full of all kinds of diversity, its people, its culture and its mix of urban and green landscapes.  Many of us are proud to live and work here.

As people who live, work, study and do business here, we are horrified by the current proposals brought forward by Leicester City Council to build on so many of our green spaces, seemingly particularly in estate areas where they are needed most.

If we have learned anything from the ongoing Covid-19 situation, it must be how vital green spaces are to people's metal and physical health and well-being in urban areas.   They are essential for exercise, fresh air and relaxation, and for helping to avoid dangerous over-crowding in cities.  They are, of course, also hugely important from an environmental perspective, providing space for much-needed trees, plant, insect and animal life.  And they are at the heart of local Leicester communities, for picnics, fetes and football games.

Why does the UK government and LCC want to deprive residents of these life-enhancing green areas, particularly in urban estate areas, where people may be less likely to be able to access the countryside by other means, and be more likely to be isolated without these communal spaces? 

The greens and park areas in the Thurncourt/Thurnby Lodge area are used every day and have been for decades, by children playing, elderly people taking time to sit and chat, and by everyone for exercise, fresh air and mental well- being. 

As a child, I collected conkers on the green on Brent Knowle Gardens with my brother and friends; years later my children did.  Now my mum enjoys the view from her window and a walk underneath the chestnut trees.  Next year those trees will have been cut down. Shouldn't we be planting *more* trees rather than destroying nature, natural flood defences and air purifiers?  At least one of these trees dates back to the original farmland here:  others have been in place since the 1950s and 1970s.

The same is true of Homestone Gardens, which is used and loved by the elderly and children - so much so that LCC has just ordered new seating for it!  Again it is home to a rich biodiversity of insect and plant life and beautiful mature trees.  A place for community and for quiet space and peace.

We know people need housing.  Affordable housing.  And we support that.  But houses also require the infrastructure to go with them and are no good on their own.   Schools and GPs in the area are over subscribed.  Creaking drainage is already a problem, and parking is an existing nightmare for residents, with dangerous situations and access issues being created daily already, particularly during school rush hours.  There simply is nowhere else to park any more cars in either of these locations, and we are worried someone will be injured or worse.

We need our small pockets of green space.  Without it, everyone's lives are poorer and Leicester will suffer as a whole.

Please think again.  Push back against government dictates.  Protect Leicester City's urban green spaces for the people of Leicester, now and in generations to come.  Protect the valued spaces of Thurnby Lodge and Thurncourt residents.  Don't build on Brent Knowle Gardens and Homestone Gardens.   We need you as our elected representatives to protect them for us.  Thank you.