EUROPEAN co-operation could have a major impact on planning in Bromley after a team of councillors met their EU counterparts.

The problems faced by boroughs on the edges of major cities were the subject of Metrofringes, a scheme involving Bromley councillors and their counterparts from Paris, The Hague and the Ruhr.

The project aimed to help planners and decision-makers exchange ideas and experiences.

Issues included pressure for housing, unauthorised urban use in the countryside and loss of farmland and wildlife habitats.

Development and control committee chairman Councillor Tony Wilkinson said: "This was an excellent opportunity not only to see what we could learn but what we could contribute.

"For example, the idea of volunteers taking part in management of valuable nature sites was new to many of our European colleagues."

October 25, 2001 15:09