Local green belt campaigners have played host to a group of planning experts from South Korea who came to North Mymms looking for tips on how to protect the countryside.

The group made the 5,500 mile (9,000 km) trip after stumbling on the North Mymms District Green Belt Society (NMDGBS) website while looking for help in how to best manage green belt land.

They were so impressed by what they saw that they contacted the NMDGBS honorary secretary, Bob Horrocks, who helped host the visit.

The seven South Koreans from the Gyonggi Province outside the capital Seoul, were led by Mrs Way Lee, senior researcher at the Department of Urban and Land Use Planning at the Gyonggi Research Institute.

According to Bob Horrocks, the South Korean capital is similar to London in that it is a magnet for people, with housing at a premium.

“About 20 million people live in the greater Seoul area, that’s almost half the population of South Korea. The green belts around the capital and half a dozen large towns in the area are under similar pressure to the 14 green belts in England,” he said.

Among the places the party visited were:

• Salisbury Village, Hatfield, which was in the green belt and is now used for housing, including affordable housing
• The Hatfield Business Park
• The former workshops at Potterells, off Station Road, between Brookmans Park and Welham Green, which is now housing
• The former farm buildings at Home Farm, North Mymms Park, which is now housing
• Angerland Common, South Way, Hatfield. It was just football pitches and is now being developed as a Park and Ride, a stadium for Hatfield Town Football Club, plus other football pitches and a cricket ground. This is an example of transport and leisure facilities in the green belt
• Parkfield Park off High Street, Potters Bar where the Watling Chase Community Forest has been carrying out improvement work since 2002.

The party was entertained for lunch by the chair of the NMDGBS, Mrs Claire Taylor, and her husband, Jeremy, at their home in North Mymms Park, which is also in the green belt.

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May 7, 2007