CPRE's over readjustment of Green Belt boundaries welcomed by RTPI

The Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) acknowledgement that a 'readjustment of Green Belt boundaries' may be required to meet the housing needs of Britain’s growing population has been welcomed by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The CPRE’s acknowledgement came in its think piece entitled “20:26 Vision - What Future For The Countryside?”, which was released today.

It concedes that the redevelopment of brownfield sites and urban renewal cannot produce enough homes to meet the growing need, and that greenfield development around existing cities and large towns may be desirable, even if it does lead to a reduction of Green Belt land.

The RTPI believes that in a limited number of cases the use of Green Belt land could be integrated into housing policy.

In its submission to the Barker Review it called for a set of clear, sustainability criteria against which any proposed changes to the designation of Green Belt land should be tested, to ensure nationwide consistency.

RTPI Secretary General, Robert Upton, said: “We welcome the CPRE’s acknowledgement that an adjustment of Green Belt boundaries may be required to deliver more sustainable development.

“We believe that taking an inflexible protectionist attitude toward Green Belt land is wrong.

"It fails to recognise that the best social and environmental outcomes can usually be achieved by putting houses where jobs and services already exist. In a small number of cases this may require an adjustment to Green Belt boundaries.

“As we advocated in our submission to the Barker report we believe there needs to be a clear set of sustainable development tests to be used to check whether changes to Green Belt are necessary or desirable.

"These tests might cover such issues as reducing travel demand, concentrating infrastructure, creating green infrastructure and improving accessibility to open space.

“Green Belt should no longer be the pasture for England’s sacred cows: it needs to be an active element in sustainable development.”

Source: www.24dash.com

Fears for East Dunbartonshire greenbelt land

The deputy leader of East Dunbartonshire Council has raised serious concerns about the future of greenbelt land across the district.Councillor Billy Hendry hit out at Scottish Government proposals that could see 35,000 new houses built in Scotland per year by 2015.

The 'Firm Foundations' consultation was launched by the Scottish Government last autumn and aims to create more social housing and increase the supply of land for homes.

Councillor Billy Hendry, said: "We have the biggest fight of our lives on our hands to protect our greenbelt.

"It's clear that to deliver that amount of housing there would have to be new settlements built on greenbelt land - and not just a few houses here and there.

"We will unite the communities in East Dunbartonshire to fight against these government proposals."

East Dunbartonshire Council has now submitted its views on the housing proposals to the Scottish Government.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Firm Foundations consultation period ended on Friday (January 25) and we received a lot of responses from the key players.

"We are delighted local authorities such as East Dunbartonshire Council have submitted their views.

"We will look at what has been said and make an announcement in the near future."

Source: kirkintilloch-herald.co.uk

Warning over development proposals

According to latest article by http://www.thecomet.net/

A resident has warned that people should be more aware of areas highlighted for possible future development.

Charlotte Jerrand came across a land allocation document on North Herts District Council's website last week when the consultation was launched. She hadn't realised land near her road may be affected.

Mrs Jerrand, of Bygrave Road, Baldock, said: "At the moment it's Green Belt land but I don't think that's being treated as much of a problem.

"The need for housing is seen as significant enough to override the Green Belt."

She added: "My concern is residents need to know it's there to submit their views. At the moment I have got an open mind. I can see there is a real need for housing, but I think if it's going to go ahead we need the council to take into account hospitals, transport, etc.

"My concern at the moment is that I'd like to know more about it and there should be an effort made by the council to raise awareness of the issue."

The plan that Ms Jerrand is concerned with includes land surrounding Bygrave Road, land near Clothall Common and land off Clothall Road, all in Baldock.

However, consultation on pinpointed land will go on all across North Herts in a separate move to the SNAP consultation which has also allocated land as part of the East of England plan.

North Herts District Council (NHDC) has said the land allocation document includes a number of sites which are all under consultation.

A spokesman said: "There are no decisions as to what will definitely happen, we are asking for the public's views and these will be used to inform the next 'preferred option'."

The document states: "The final land allocations document will specify sites to meet the district's needs for housing, employment, retail, leisure, community facilities and any other uses considered necessary.

"At this first stage, more sites are identified than are likely to be required and the inclusion of sites in this document is not an indication that the council will ultimately wish to see the site developed.

"The results of this consultation and any other evidence which emerges will be used to determine which sites are taken forward to the second, preferred options, stage."

Baldock councillor Michael Muir said: "It's all consultation. Nothing is cut and dried."

He added: "We've had to do this for the whole of North Herts because the Government says we've got to do it.

"We've got to find 16,800 homes in North Herts so we've got to find a place to put them."

Councillor Richard Thake, spokesman for planning and transport, said: "We would be happy to receive comments from as many of our residents or interested parties as possible to ensure that the needs of all our communities can be considered. "People are encouraged to comment either on-line using the link at the top of the NHDC home page, by e-mail to idfconsultations@ north-herts.gov.uk or by post at Land Allocations Consultation, Planning Policy & Projects, North Hertfordshire District Council, Council Offices, Gernon Road, Letchworth Garden City, Hertford-shire, SG6 3JF."

The consultation documents are also available to view in all public libraries in North Herts and at the Letchworth GC Council offices.

Build on UK Green Belt land now

Our children used to have to wait until we died to get their hands on our assets, if any. Now it seems they can’t wait. They beadily eye our ridiculously overvalued homes and it is only with great restraint or great affection that they stop themselves telling us to sell immediately and hand over some capital. Surely you would be happier in something smaller, they suggest. Get out, grandma, is the message and often well before we are a grandmother.

It’s not that they are greedy. It’s that they are beginning to be desperate. Property prices have risen to such dizzying heights that most cannot hope to buy a first home without help.

The average home in England costs seven times the buyer’s earnings; as recently as 1998 it was about five times earnings, but by 2026 it will be 10 times, even if the government succeeds in its plans to promote more house building. Most young people will be unable to afford to buy their own homes at all.

This was the warning last week – if we needed a warning – of the National Housing and Planning Advice Unit, a new government think tank. At the same time the Council of Mortgage Lenders reported that nearly half of first-time buyers under 30 were getting help from their families.

Source: www.timesonline.co.uk