A PROSPECTIVE Parliamentary candidate has called on a rural MP to support a 'greenfield tax.'

Tory Nigel Evans has been battling against huge developments in his Ribble Valley constituency and has formed action groups to fight proposed building in Broughton, Goosnargh and Grimsargh.

But the area's Liberal Democrat spokesman Michael Carr, has called on the MP to support his party's call for a greenfield tax aimed at cutting down development in the countryside.

The Ribble Valley has been blighted by house-building, with a development at Barrow so big it nearly doubled the size of the village and huge complexes planned for Calderstones, in Whalley and Brockhall, Langho.

Mr Carr, who was Ribble Valley MP for a year following his infamous bye-election win in 1991, also claimed the former Tory government had paved the way for excessive development in the countryside, with changes in legislation favouring builders.

And he has written to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott demanding tough action to halt the house-building.

"I have written to Mr Prescott to urge him to adopt the Liberal Democrat policy of introducing a greenfield tax to deter the kind of development that is blighting the Ribble Valley.

"I have also asked Nigel Evans to support our policy and reminded him that it was the Tory government under Margaret Thatcher that changed planning laws making it easier for developers," he said.

Mr Carr was recently adopted by the Liberal Democrats as their prospective parliamentary candidate for the Ribble Valley.

A spokesman for Nigel Evans Westminster office said: "Irrespective of which party it comes from, Nigel welcomes support for the campaign he is waging to save the Ribble Valley's green fields."

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