Should Hampshire aim to be a powerhouse of Europe, or should it seek to preserve its heritage sites, fields and woodlands?

This was a question debated by conservationists at a meeting in Winchester this week.

Organised by Winchester Conservation Alliance and Hants CPRE, it focused on how to juggle economic expansion with protection of the countryside.

Housing, waste, social deprivation and countryside policies came under the spotlight, as speakers picked a path through the conflicting issues.

"We must accept economic growth," said HCC leader, Ken Thornber. "We must address the issues of deprivation and seek to do it whilst protecting the environment and making use of natural resources."

He said a ward in the north-east of the county had the highest proportion of householders with incomes over £100,000 in Britain, but southern Hampshire had some of the most seriously-deprived areas.

"We want to reap the benefits of better standards of living. It's about securing improvements in public services."

But Edward Dawson, CPRE regional director, emphasised "greener growth", tempering his comments with stark warnings about compromising the landscape. "Protection remains a part of policy and should not be ignored."

Michael Poland, an Isle of Wight landowner, urged that development should slow down, that council housing should stop being sold and that the decision-makers be forced to taste rural life.

"Politicians like Tony Blair and John Prescott, should have compulsory six-week working holidays on farms."