A WILDLIFE charity has added its voice to the fight to save Mole Valley's green belt areas from being turned into housing.
Leatherhead-based Wildlife Aid Foundation has backed the Save Surrey's Countryside campaign, which last week was launched by the county's Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) team.
The charity, based in Randalls Road, said it was "horrified" by Mole Valley District Council's plans to review the green belt boundary in order to meet housing targets.
Simon Cowell, founder of the charity, said: "We need to protect our precious wildlife and natural heritage. Sacrificing nature for the sake of 'economic growth' is short-sighted and immoral.
"That is why the Wildlife Aid Foundation is joining forces with conservationists CPRE to defend the green belt in Mole Valley. The environment must come first."
The CPRE's Surrey branch, made up of 2,500 members, is currently battling plans to build a golf course at Cherkley Wood, and houses on Bookham Grange Hotel.
London's green belt, which covers about 75 per cent of Mole Valley, was designed to prevent towns from merging.
But the district council is under pressure from central government to earmark areas within the green belt for prospective development in a rush to find space for 2,200 new homes before 2026, in order to meet stringent targets.
Mr Cowell continued: "I was horrified by the council's plans. It would be disastrous for the environment if these areas were lost to development.
"If you look at the maps issued by the council to show the areas of countryside they are considering removing from the green belt it is obvious that these are among the most precious green spaces which provide vital 'wildlife corridors' between the urban areas.
"A large amount of the northern part of Mole Valley has already been built on and it would be catastrophic if we lost even more of the district to the developers' bulldozers."
Mr Cowell said that blame for this "monstrous attack on the natural environment" should be shared between district and county councillors and the government.
He added: "What all these people are missing is that the fact that the natural environment is the most precious thing we have.
"Without a complete eco-system and a proper balance between man and nature, there is no use worrying about the economy. Everything is linked. The politicians and developers forget this at their peril.
"I am appealing to Mole Valley council to scrap these plans to remove green belt protection from vitally important green spaces in this district."
To join the campaign, which will host a protest meeting at Dorking Halls on May 18 entitled Surrey's Future, call 01372 362720 or e-mail cpre.surrey@ btconnect.com