Councils will be allowed to build starter homes on green belt as planning laws are relaxed to meet the demand for properties…
Strict rules surrounding green belt land could be relaxed under a new government proposal. Usually green belt, which prevents urban sprawl, is only allowed to be built on under exceptional circumstances. However, these new plans could overrule the guidance in place.
Protection of the land surrounding towns and cities was introduced in the 1950s to prevent urban sprawl and to stop neighbouring areas from merging into one another. There are 14 green belts across England, spanning 13 per cent of the total land.
However, a government consultation has proposed changing the rules to enable councils to “allocate appropriate small-scale sites in the green belt specifically for starter homes”.
Starter homes are for first time buyers under 40-years-old and include properties worth no more than £250,000 outside London and £450,000 in the capital. They are sold at a 20 per cent discount below the market rate. The government is aiming to create 200,000 of these properties each year during the course of this parliament.
The consultation said: “We consider that the current policy can hinder locally-led development and propose to amend national planning policy so that neighbourhood plans can allocate appropriate small-scale sites in the green belt specifically for start homes.”
The changes, published on Monday, have been criticised by rural campaigners, but will likely be welcomed by developers.
In August, a survey carried out by the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) found two-thirds of people were against building on green belt. Despite this fact there has been a push to utilise this land, as building on green belt land could ease the growing housing crisis, providing hundreds of thousands of new properties.
However, while there are strict rules in place for development on this land it does not prevent construction. Earlier this year, the BBC and Glenigan revealed the amount of construction taking place on green belt across England has increased substantially. In 2009-10 only 2,258 homes were granted planning permission. However, this figure grew to 11,977 in 2014-15.
The CPRE also published a report that revealed more than 219,000 homes were planned for England’s green belt. This was 60,000 more than in August 2013.
CPRE’s planning campaign manager Paul Miner said the reforms were “the biggest change in terms of housing, since probably the 1980s”.
He added: “We will probably see thousands more houses come through in the Green Belt as a result of these changes every year.
“The current policy isn’t working, but these proposals will make things worse. It could see a lot more planning battles in the countryside over coming years.”
Chairman of the House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee Clive Betts said: “I have no problem with a proper review of the Green Belt to see whether it is all appropriate or whether more should be added in.
“But that is how it should be done, not as a bit of opportunity to cherry pick the best sites by developers, which this sounds like it could develop into.”
He said he was “concerned by the proposal and absolutely alarmed” by the “rushed nature” of the consultation.
However, a Department for Communities and Local Government spokesperson said it was necessary to consider all the options, but planning decisions should rest with local people.
“Planning policy maintains strong protections for the Green Belt.
“Our proposals only relate to housing that has been included in a neighbourhood plan, designed by the local community and approved by local people in a referendum.
“Ultimately our planning reforms mean that local people decide where developments should and shouldn’t go.
“We want to deliver the homes this country needs to ensure anyone who works hard and aspires to own their own home, has the opportunity to do so.”
There is little doubt the nation is in the throes of a serious housing crisis, but is building on green belt the answer? Let us know your thoughts.
Since when does a starter home cost £250k? Ridiculous.
There are thousands of properties on the market well below this price and are still unaffordable.