Think tank claims housing plans mean Green Belt rethink
The Government's latest housing targets cannot be met without the loss of significant amounts of greenfield land, an independent think tank has claimed, after arguing for a major review of policy on development in the Green Belt.
According to a study by the Social Market Foundation, a "significant proportion" of the Government's new target of 3m new homes by 2020 will have to be on greenfield sites and should trigger a major debate on the future of the Green Belt.
The think tank argued this review was urgently needed after its researchers calculated that even if the new housing was developed at the sort of densities common in London, a third of the homes would have to be built on previously undeveloped land.
The SMF report has called for "a debate about loosening the Green Belt, as recommended by the Barker review but rejected in the Government's Planning White Paper".
Housing and Planning Minister Baroness Andrews said: "There will be no change to the robust protections of the Green Belt as the Housing Green Paper made clear last month.
"We believe it is possible to build the homes future generations need whilst protecting the environment and green spaces.
"The Housing Green Paper published last month set out an ambitious package of proposals to do just that including earmarking more than 550 public sector sites made up of surplus land, and asking local government to do the same.
"Our clear priority for development will remain brownfield land - already 74% of new housing is being built on brownfield land, up from 57% in 1997."
The think tank suggested the Government should consider "deregulating" Green Belt land which is not of any "significant natural value" or easing planning restrictions in Green Belt areas.
The report said: "The UK needs to have a rational debate about where to build these houses. We have to build them somewhere, but building new houses anywhere involves tradeoffs and winners and losers."
eGov Monitor, August 16th 2007
