On Saturday I joined Leckhampton residents early in the morning to walk across the beautiful Leckhampton fields and listen to the birds’ morning chorus. The walk emphasised just how lucky we are to live in such a great town that is surrounded by glorious countryside. It’s really important that Leckhampton maintains its rural character which means protecting it from development. I accept that Cheltenham needs more housing; however I think that there are more suitable sites including brown field land that should be looked at first. It is important to protect our countryside, but we should also ensure that we don’t reject every proposal for new housing in Cheltenham