A new article in the Telegraph sees Ray Mears sharing his thoughts on the recent controversy over government plans to build new homes on Britain’s hallowed green belt.

In his extensive statement, Ray explains why he believes that this so-called protected land provides “a backdrop to our lives where we can maintain contact with the seasons and influences of nature.”

Ray first spoke out about the green belt during his recent appearance on BBC Radio 4’s iconic Desert Island Discs show. Speaking to presenter Kirsty Young, Ray said “We live in a time now where there’s a huge pressure to build on the green belt. Now, as I understood it, that was put aside in perpetuity by our ancestors, our elders, and I think it should still be so.”

Ray with Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young

Ray added that, while he accepts that new homes are needed, “If we don’t have green spaces, what sort of people do we become, living in those spaces?”

The issue recently gained publicity following a warning from the National Trust, that half of English councils with green-belt land are preparing to allocate some of it for development ahead of brownfield sites.

Ray went on to say that the “green belt, by its nature, is rich in hedgerows and strip woodland, which link green spaces. Such ‘wildlife corridors’ play a vital role in connecting smaller habitats, which in isolation would be far less viable.”

Read the full Telegraph article

Listen to Ray Mears on Desert Island Discs