According to a new survey two-thirds of the general public are against building on Britain’s green belt land…
A poll carried out on the 60th anniversary of a policy put in place to protect green belt land has revealed there is still support for preventing development. The survey, which was conducted by Ipos Mori on behalf of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, asked 854 people for their views.
In total 64 per cent of respondents said existing green belt land should be protected and should not be used for development. Only 17 per cent disagreed.
Semi-rural respondents showed a significant level of support, with 83 per cent in favour of maintaining green belt. This was perhaps unsurprising as these regions are the most likely to be affected by new developments. However, the figures also showed there was strong support in towns and cities, with 62 per cent in favour of protecting green belt.
While the government has been forthcoming with its support for maintaining green belt protection, it was also disclosed by the CPRE that 226,000 new homes had been proposed for development on green belt land by July. This was an increase on the 219,500 homes proposed in March and the 81,000 proposed three years ago.
Campaigners want the government to create more specific guidance for green belt boundaries and when these can be changed. They are also calling for public funding to increase the quality of and access to green belt land.
Chief Executive Shaun Spiers said: “We know that the green belt is loved by the general public and supported by politicians of all parties.
“Yet despite this, it is under greater threat than it has been in its 60-year history. Over 200,000 new houses are already planned for green belt land and a growing number of think tanks, developers and business groups are gunning for the green belt, arguing with very little evidence that we need to build on it in order to tackle the country’s housing crisis.
“The green belt is a fantastic British success story of which we should all be proud. It has both protected countryside and aided the regeneration of towns and cities across England.
“It is good for people’s wellbeing and quality of life, good for nature and wildlife, and it provides us with much of the food that we eat.
“Of course the country needs more homes, but we can get them without trashing the green belt.”
The CPRE said there should be more focus on brownfield sites, which could house at least a million new properties across the nation. The government has already implemented a number of policies aimed at stimulating development on brownfield sites, including relaxing the planning rules.
Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: “We have placed local plans at the heart of our planning system, giving local people a far greater say over the future development of their area.
“The figures released by CPRE are from potential developments that have not yet been agreed by their local communities, have not gone through the rigour of the planning system and are not planning permissions.
“We have put strong protections in place for the green belt, which mean that apart from land reclassified as National Park, there were 34,000 more hectares (84,000 acres) in the green belt in 2013-14 than in 1997.”