In February 2024, Sir Kier Starmer commented on the current level of housebuilding in the South East.
Whilst lacking in detail, this statement by the Labour leader shows a promising approach to unlocking development potential within our corner of England. Although it is important to protect our designated landscapes, it shows an understanding from the opposition that the Green Belt is not a landscape designation, but a land use policy.
Many areas covered by Green Belt are visually unattractive and do not present the rolling countryside that many assume the Green Belt designation is there to protect. The Green Belt designation has formed a restrictive band around London for many years which has increased house prices in the capital and the South East, as developable land has been depleted.
A generation have been locked out of home ownership in no small part due to ever increasing house prices. So why shouldn’t we build more homes on parts of the Green Belt that would naturally come forward for development were they located outside of the designation?
We cautiously await further detail, but recognition and understanding of the policy issue is the first step in a positive direction for the market as a whole and many of our land-owning clients.
Kirsty Castle, Partner, 2024.
01892 509280
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