WITH polling day just a week away we asked Poole's major party candidates to give us their views on environmental issues affecting the town.

Where they stood on such matters as green issues, the sensitive and highly protected harbour, the controversial Navitus Bay windfarm proposal.

The town is built alongside the largest natural harbour in Europe which is an area of international importance for wildlife conservation, a busy ferry and conventional cargo port and a bustling yachting centre.

This is what they told us.

Philip Eades, Liberal Democrat:

"I believe that the protection of Poole’s wonderful natural environment should be high on the list of priorities of anyone seeking to represent the town as its MP.

"We are fortunate to live in one of the most beautiful parts of the country but it can only stay that way if action is taken to reduce our use of fossil fuels, to tackle the effects of climate change that are being seen both in Dorset and around the world, to reduce carbon emissions and increase our level of renewable energy production.

"I have a long and proud record of opposing development on Poole’s public precious open spaces (including the Tory backed Solar Pyramid at Baiter and private football stadium at Branksome Rec) and will also continue to oppose incursions into the green belt and calling for concentrating future development within Poole’s regeneration area with sustainable use of urban land."

Robert Syms, Conservative:

"I am wholly opposed to the Navitus Bay Wind Farm proposal. I believe it is in the wrong place and in my canvassing during the campaign many constituents have expressed concern about their view, sea birds and the impact on local yachting. The cost of the project for the tax payer will be immense and the level of subsidy will put up many household bills in Poole.

"The only local proposal which I think has some merit is the Poole Harbour Tidal Project which is looking at ways to generate energy by using the natural flow of the sea and tide. I think this has real value and would cost a fraction of the money that Navitus Bay would cost."

Helen Rosser, Labour:

"Labour recognizes the need to green our energy supply and the potential for jobs growth provided by investing in windfarms, but we want to see the benefits of those jobs and investments flow to through to local people. We will freeze energy prices until January 2017, saving a typical household £120 and an average business £1,800, allowing us to reset the market and make sure it works to green our economy, create local jobs and benefit consumers.

"We mustn’t become a playground for the wealthy alone, but home to innovation, hope and community. That means building affordable homes, boosting the minimum age to £8 an hour and ending exploitative zero-hours contracts so that the many and not just the few can benefit from local growth."

David Young, UKIP:

"UKIP was the first political party to declare its firm opposition to the monstrous Navitus Bay windfarm proposal, affecting Bournemouth, Poole and Weymouth. Not only would the largest off-shore windfarm to date threaten the status of The Jurassic Coast as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it would, like all windfarms, channel massive subsidies to its foreign developers at the expense of consumers, who have to pay green energy levies under the ill-conceived 2008 Climate Change Act.

"UKIP would repeal that Act because it drives up costs, undermines competitiveness and hits jobs and growth in the UK. While we are forced to close perfectly good coal-fired power stations to meet unattainable targets for renewable capacity, our major global competitors – the USA, China and India – are switching to low-cost fossil fuels. We must change course on energy policy, or the lights will go out, literally!"

Adrian Oliver, Green Party:

"The threat from climate change, particularly to coastal towns like Poole, has been largely absent from election debates. The Green Party takes this threat seriously and has plans for action to create a sustainable society, prevent fracking and new nuclear power.

"Molly Scott Cato, our Green MEP, has published a report showing how the South West can be totally sufficient in clean, renewable energy generation and have some left over to export, and create 122,000 jobs.

"We would provide resources to local councils to encourage more walking, cycling and public transport use, particularly for additional bus services and reducing fares."