I MUST applaud the government for turning down plans for a new £130m by-pass around Hastings.

Despite 80 per cent of people voting in favour of the scheme, the environmentalists, who feared it would destroy sites of outstanding natural beauty, won.

Yippee.

I hope local government sits up and takes notice and stops destroying what greenery there is left. Use the brownfield sites for building.

Let's have more concern for the GREEN belt and less for the MONEY belt.