I'm glad David Davis saw the beauty of the South Downs for himself (The Argus, November 7).

Visiting Ditchling Beacon and looking out over the Weald, he would have seen an area of countryside which would be within the South Downs National Park.

Unfortunately, he was shown looking the wrong way, towards Falmer, where the Albion's stadium will impact upon the Downs.

His promise to protect the Green Belt would do little for Brighton and Hove, which isn't surrounded by Green Belt but by the Sussex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and, hopefully soon, the South Downs National Park.

In fact, he made the worrying confusion a lot of politicians seem to be making between the two.

This has been the problem with the South-East England Regional Assembly (SEERA) and its South-East Plan.

Green Belt is there purely to act as a buffer between conurbations and to try and prevent towns and cities joining up in a continuous urban sprawl.

Green Belt has no merit, other than that it lies next to a large settlement. It needn't be particularly attractive or have any significant wildlife.

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and National Parks, on the other hand, are so designated because of their natural beauty, which is considered to be of national importance.

This means they should have the highest possible protection.

This is one reason we support a South Downs National Park and why it will benefit large areas of the Low Weald, particularly around Ditchling, which is likely to be inside it.

Those opposed to the National Park, such as West Sussex County Council (WSCC), are making much about their opposition to the levels of housing being imposed on them and the need to protect the countryside.

Yet WSCC's opposition to the South Downs National Park could threaten the very areas it says it wants to protect.

Let's hope David Davis, if elected Conservative leader, can convince it of its folly.

-Chris Todd, Friends of the Earth, Brighton