I FOUND BG Browning’s letter about cheap Chinese imports (HAS, Dec 15) very interesting, but the problem of trying to boost manufacturing within the UK isn’t just down to foreign manufactured goods.

For example, the Hitachi highspeed train factory at Newton Aycliffe won’t just lead to the creation of 5,000 jobs within Newton Aycliffe. It also means the creation of an estimated 9,000 related jobs for towns beyond Newton Aycliffe. These include the creation of thousands of manufacturing jobs needed to produce sub-assembly components such as plastic mouldings for panels, buttons and switches etc.

If such a factory were to be built in a town with high unemployment (such as Spennymoor), it would create thousands of much-needed jobs, and help revive the retail economy.

However, the continuing policy of using brown belt land for housing developments makes bringing such manufacturing jobs to such towns impossible, forcing thousands of much needed jobs to go elsewhere, possibly outside the region or even overseas.

Consequently, inappropriate use of unused brown belt land hinders manufacturing within the UK, restricts job creation and the resultant economic benefits needed for both regional and national economic recovery and growth, while increasing our dependence on foreign manufactured goods.

CT Riley, Spennymoor