A HAMPSHIRE charity has released a report questioning the worth of the ‘strategic gaps’ in protecting areas of open land.

It comes as part of an ongoing campaign to adopt a greenbelt in south Hampshire to protect the region’s green spaces.

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Hampshire commissioned a report into the effectiveness of local and strategic gaps used to protect areas of green space and stop ‘urban sprawl’.

A strategic gap is a planning term which refers to areas of undeveloped land that keep urban areas from merging.

They help ensure open land and green spaces are kept for use by the public or as green corridors for wildlife.

Chief executive of the charity, Charlee Bennett, said the report has “given even more support for the campaign”.

She said: “It has been previously argued by local authorities in south Hampshire that the gaps provided adequate safeguards.

“However, the report has highlighted the vulnerability of these areas as the gap status seems to offer limited protection, citing many examples within south Hampshire when the development has gone ahead in these areas, nibbling away at the gaps, with some now being only metres wide.

“These green spaces are so vital to the health and wellbeing of our residents and the only way to properly ensure we can protect our precious countryside within law is by the adoption of a greenbelt.”

She added: “The facts support it, the public supports it, and many of our council leaders and decision makers support it.”

As previously reported, CPRE Hampshire is pushing for a greenbelt to protect the remaining green spaces between Eastleigh, Southampton, Fareham and Portsmouth.

The report claims that a strong case could be made for the region meeting the “exceptional circumstances” required, and the push was last year backed by thousands of residents.

CPRE Hampshire handed a petition with more than 13,500 signatures to a meeting of the PUSH Committee – a group made up of the regions local authorities to support the sustainable economic growth – in December as part of their case.

As a result, the committee agreed to consider the green belt as part of their arrangements. The committee is due to meet again today.