Wildlife TV presenter and conservationist Chris Packham is among thousands of people to back a campaign to protect Green Belt land in one Surrey borough. 

The Springwatch presenter said he was “standing in solidarity” with residents fighting to save 19 Green Belt sites in Spelthorne. 

More than 5,000 people have signed a petition calling on Spelthorne Borough Council not to release the land for building or development as part of its Local Plan. 

Backing the campaign, Mr Packham posted a link to the petition and wrote on Twitter on Sunday: “At a time of Climate Emergency more green spaces and rewooded areas are required to counteract carbon emissions. 

“I’m standing in solidarity with residents campaigning to protect their green belt . Can you help too?”

Campaigners say releasing the 19 sites will mean the loss of 53 hectares of Green Belt and weaken remaining sites making them vulnerable to development in the future. 

Malcolm Beecher, of the North Surrey Green Party, said it felt “really good” to have the backing of more than 5,000 people including Mr Packham. 

He said the total number of signatures soared over the weekend after the wildlife expert’s social media posting. 

Mr Beecher said: “It feels very good. People are taking notice and appreciating our Green Belt.”

He said he had worked out that the 53 ha, if just covered in grass, would absorb 200 tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) which would combat the amount of emissions from traffic around Heathrow Airport neighbouring the borough. 

The petition was handed in to council deputy chief executive Terry Collier on Tuesday, January 21 just hours before the deadline of a public consultation into Spelthorne’s Local Plan. 

SBC has an annual requirement of building 603 homes per year over a 15-year period between 2020 and 2035.

The council has carried out an assessment to find parcels of land for development to meet this government-set target. 

In total, 19 Green Belt sites have been identified for potential release. 

The council says the 53ha is around 1.6 per cent of the borough’s total Green Belt and that the sites will provide approximately 1,649 units. 

But campaigners say more use could be made of brownfield – urban – sites. 

Cllr Veena Siva, Labour, said the Green Belt was vital for the wellbeing of residents as well as acting as a habitat for wildlife and acting as a carbon sink – a natural way of absorbing and storing CO2. 

She said: “By building on the Green Belt, we lose this carbon sink and this will have an extremely damaging effect on the air quality in the borough.”

She stressed there was still a “desperate need” for affordable housing and new homes in the borough adding: “We cannot afford to leave Spelthorne residents priced out of their own constituency.”

But called on the council to look more at brownfield sites. 

Cllr Jan Doerfel, Green party, said there needed to be a change in how the council calculated how many houses it needed.

Spelthorne has identified 34 sites in the urban area for potential development which will amount to around 2,671 homes. 

A SBC spokesperson said: “Spelthorne Borough Council thanks those who have taken the time to sign the petition. We have made it clear we do not want to build on Green Belt but have been forced to by the Government because of such high levels of housing need imposed on local authorities. 

“We are committed to pushing the Government to reduce the figure, however it is also important that we continue to progress our Local Plan to prevent the loss of our most important green spaces. 

“This petition, and the others we have received on specific sites, will be taken into account when we analyse the feedback from the consultation and in the stages that follow.”

The council is aiming to submit its Local Plan in August this year ready for a proposed date for adoption in July 2021.