It’s nonsense that there’s no room to build on the green belt, says Rayner

Deputy Prime Minister unveils multi-sectoral restructuring measures that will bring in 1. An additional five million houses this decade. 
 
Angela Rayner has stated that it is ridiculous for anybody to argue that Britain has no space for new homes in the countryside. 
 
The Deputy Prime Minister said on Tuesday that overhauling of the system would help reached 1 million more students. Building 5 million more houses this decade. 
 
Thus, under the provided changes, the councils will have to construct homes on the so-called “grey belt”, which is a substandard green belt territory, in order to meet the mandatory quotas of constructing homes that have been ratcheted up by 25 per cent. Ms Rayner went on to state that there was no way she would allow councils to decline on the set targets and thus threatened to compel them into executing the house-building plans. 
 
kemi badenoch, the shadow housing secretary, said that millions of ‘hideous’ new homes will be built all over the countryside of Britain. In an article written in the telegraph, Ms Rayner demonstrates the urgency of the situation by stating that since the problem is so severe she ‘must be radical and cannot look for the middle ground. ’ 
 
She says: I am aware that these plans will attract complains from people. ‘Britain is already too crowded!’ they will be able to retort or, ‘There is no countryside left – it has all been paved over!’ ’ However, according to surveys, the populace presumes that half of England is densely populated. 
 
This is why I could calmly reassure them and explain why they need to see a professional. Or, more likely, I can just say: ‘One of them said helplessly- It is rubbish’. 
 
”Just about 10 per cent of our country is built on Thus, while the overwhelming majority of England is still very green and it will stay so under these proposals. 
 
Speaking in the Commons on Tuesday, Ms Rayner was clear in her strategy, saying that brownfield land, the premier source to define the areas which were developed in the past, has to be the first choice. But, she admitted: “It is only part of the answer. Which is why we need to devise an even more strategic system for green belt release for it to fully fit in the 21st century. ” 
 
Although, based on other researchers’ works, one might conclude that the maximum amount of extant of brownfield sites is 1. 4 million new homes, this indicates that about 100,000 Labour’s proposed houses will have to be developed on the green belt. 
 
In addition, a study conducted by Lichfield planning and development consultancy revealed that majority of the brownfield sites are located in undesirable locations in terms of housing. The total potential stock for brownfield development is 386,600 units while the five-year demand has been estimated to be 427,700. Likewise, in the South East, the previously developed area will be able to demand a maximum of 386,600 out of the 427,700 houses required. 
 
To be specific, in the North West, North East and Yorkshire and the Humber there are even more brownfield sites than there are needs for new homes. 
 
A report by the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England on the issue revealed that there is enough brownfield land only for 1. 2 million new-builds. 
 
The Government revealed on Tuesday new statistics which demonstrate that house-building goals have been raised in the Tory constituencies but cut in London. 
 
The whole of North Yorkshire Area, which includes Sunak’s parliamentary seat, has been earmarked for the second biggest uplift in number of homes required. Fifty per cent has been the increase for the new target given to Kemi Badenoch for the constituency of Saffron Walden. In Waverley which is represented by Jeremy Hunt, it has near doubled it. 
 
Some councils that have used up brownfield stocks will therefore have no option but to deliver the required amounts on a new category of green belt known as the grey belt. 
 
Labour in the first instance defined the grey belt as sub standard land, car parks, wastelands, quarries and golf courses, and so on. However, the party issued a definition of what amounts to green belt which created the opportunity to reclassification of much more amount of green belt like abandoned fields and even less productive farming lands. 
 
An organization known as Create Streets, a housing think tank has said that as much as 3% of the green belt can be changed to a grey belt with enough area to house 1. 5 million homes. 
 
Officials of Labour also testified their stand to drop the element in the planning law which demands that new-constructs should be beautiful. 
 
Speaking to MPs, Ms Rayner admitted her reforms were controversial but added: These words have been said by Emma Gandhi, the housing expert, and there is no doubt that the current situation is indeed critical: ‘We are living through the worst rental crisis in generations. ’ 
 
The Deputy Prime Minister is to pledge himself on Wednesday to the further construction of new towns. She will announce a new towns taskforce, which will ascertain the locations for the towns most of which would be annexes to new towns and cities.