LONDON (XINHUA) – The Labour government’s new planning policy has mandated local councils to meet the target of building 370,000 homes a year to fulfill a government promise for 1.5 million new homes in Britain over five years.
The National Planning Policy Framework includes guidelines for releasing land from the Green Belt – protected areas surrounding urban regions designed to prevent urban sprawl – under strict criteria, prioritising brownfield and “grey belt” sites first.
The target of 1.5 million homes includes a focus on affordable housing, but experts like Professor Ben Clifford from University College London’s Bartlett School of Planning question whether the policy effectively addresses the actual demand for affordable homes.
“There are places where some demand probably does need to be met through Green Belt review,” Clifford told Xinhua, emphasising the challenges of densifying urban areas and regional inequalities in housing demand. However, he warned that the policy could face significant public opposition, as seen in past planning reforms.
Co-founder of the Community Planning Alliance Rosie Pearson described the plan as a “litmus test” for the Labour government, urging it to prioritise environmental protection. “The vast majority of United Kingdom (UK) voters believe it’s important to protect nature and green spaces, which should be a last resort only for housebuilding,” she said.
Recent polling by the charity revealed 78 per cent of respondents value green space preservation with strong bipartisan support for a “brownfield-first” policy.
Concerns from residents mirror these sentiments.
Sid O’Neill from Cheshire lamented the ongoing loss of rural land, saying, “It’s not a case of people being NIMBYs (Not In My Backyards); we all need the breathing space of open land.”
Meanwhile, Beryl Dennett from Liverpool told Xinhua the so-called affordable homes still remain out of reach for many young buyers.
The Council for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) expressed apprehension about the policy’s potential consequences.
“The broken housebuilding market is to blame for the painfully slow delivery of much-needed new homes,” said CPRE chief executive officer Roger Mortlock.
He argued that focusing on brownfield sites would better address housing shortages while protecting farmland and the environment.