CPRE chief executive, Roger Mortlock, comments on the Labour Party's announcement of "golden rules" to stimulate UK housebuilding.
Sirs,
CPRE has long campaigned for a brownfield-first approach, more genuinely affordable housing, and an end to speculative development.
We welcome Labour’s support for these policies.
There are enough ‘shovel-ready’ brownfield sites in the UK for 1.2 million new homes – this is where we should start.
We are concerned about the rhetoric.
The Green Belt is crucial to solving the climate, nature, and food crises and it is protected by law for a reason.
This new approach must be considered against this reality.
We must also abandon the existing piecemeal approach and look at the Green Belt as a whole.
If done badly Labour’s policy could permit landowners to run-down land for speculative development.
Instead, the Green Belt needs to deliver affordable homes on brownfield sites, while today's scrubland can become the woodlands and wetlands of tomorrow.
Roger Mortlock
Chief Executive
CPRE
