Farm reassurance on building plans
Farm reassurance on building plans
LESS agricultural land than expected is likely to be affected by plans to build an extra 43,000 homes a year for the next five years in the south-east.
Deputy prime minister, John Prescott, ended speculation over the governments intentions in a statement to the House of Commons on Tuesday (Mar 7).
But the minister was keen to dismiss fears that large tracts of the countryside would be built on.
"We must have greater respect for our countryside," he said.
"Planning authorities must in future give preference to recycling previously developed sites and empty properties – brownfield first, greenfield last."
The plans are more cautious than those outlined by two major reports last year, pleasing green lobby groups. The government estimates that it will save 42sq miles of countryside, enough to build a city the size of Manchester.
Tony Burton, assistant director for the Council for the protection of Rural England warmly welcomed what he described as a new approach to planning.
CPRE estimate that the new plans will halve the amount of rural land from – 60 to 29sq miles – developed.