An area of greenbelt land the size of Birmingham will be swallowed up under government plans to build new homes, rural campaigners have warned.
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England says that ministers are ignoring local concerns in their bid to meet a target of three million new homes by 2020.
The group claims that ministers are signing off major green belt developments despite contradictory advice from local planning officials.
CPRE experts want the policy focus to switch to the use of existing brownfield sites and disused urban properties, but supporters of the government’s plan say that there are not enough sites available.
Meanwhile, the Commons’ environment select committee has urged the government to reconsider its housing target because of the economic downturn, which has stymied house builders’ ability to operate in the market.
But Margaret Beckett, the new housing ministers, retorted: ‘Now is not the time to scale back on long-term ambitions.’
The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England says that ministers are ignoring local concerns in their bid to meet a target of three million new homes by 2020.
The group claims that ministers are signing off major green belt developments despite contradictory advice from local planning officials.
CPRE experts want the policy focus to switch to the use of existing brownfield sites and disused urban properties, but supporters of the government’s plan say that there are not enough sites available.
Meanwhile, the Commons’ environment select committee has urged the government to reconsider its housing target because of the economic downturn, which has stymied house builders’ ability to operate in the market.
But Margaret Beckett, the new housing ministers, retorted: ‘Now is not the time to scale back on long-term ambitions.’
