Hucknall girl, 10, pens heartfelt plea to MP to save town's green belt from housing 'destruction'

Olivia Stenson, of Common Lane, has penned the note to Mark Spencer.

In it she pours out her fears over the Ashfield local plan and, in particular, a proposal to build 3,000 homes on Whyburn Farm, which is on the doorstep of where she lives and goes to school.

Her mum, Sarah, shared her daughters words on the flourishing Hucknall Against Whyburn Farm Development Facebook page.

Here we let Olivia’s words speak for themselves. The letter reads:

‘I am writing to you today to discuss the fact people are trying to build 3,000 houses on the Hucknall countryside. I like to go on walks up on the Misk Hills with my family and our dogs but if houses were built then we will have nowhere to go on walks.

‘We love to go over the fields and through Dob Park and my mum, who grew up here, also went up Misk Hills when she was a child too. Every time it snows me, my brother (16) and my sister (9) and my parents all go up the Misk to go sledging but I fear we will not be able to do that any more because the hills won't be there.

‘I love going on walks there because there aren't many people, but after 3,000 houses are built it will constantly be busy and there will be no green space to go on a walk.

‘During lockdown this was our happy place to get fresh air after home-schooling. Please don't take this away. I am sure many people will agree with me that they don't want any more houses being built on our fields in Hucknall.

READ THIS: plans to ‘dump’ houses on Whyburn Farm slammed

‘I also worry about where all the children moving into the houses would go to school. I go to the school which is closest to where the houses are being built. I wonder which primary school all the children moving into the houses will go to as my school has no spaces.

‘I am soon going to secondary school and worry that there won't be enough places at National or Holgate.

‘Being as there are going to be lots more houses built, there will be lots more traffic driving near my house and this will make it noisy and polluted. I feel very privileged that my house is so near to open fields and countryside and do not want this spoilt for myself, my parents, or future generations.

‘Please don't destroy our green space and respect the people of Hucknall and our countryside.’