YP Letters: Builders must use up brownfield sites first and spare the green belt

From: Arthur Quarmby, Mill Moor Road, Meltham.
New homes being built - but can more be done to preserve green belt land?New homes being built - but can more be done to preserve green belt land?
New homes being built - but can more be done to preserve green belt land?

THERE are calls for yet more of Britain’s precious green belt land to be released for house building, yet at the same time we are assured that there is a plentiful supply of houses.

Many are in areas of low demand.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

This makes one wish that there was some way of moving people to these areas – but, of course, that is wishful thinking except in rare cases.

However there is a more practical solution. There remains a considerable amount of previously-developed land (so-called brownfield) which has yet to be redeveloped.

Brownfield is not popular with builders – it might be an awkwardly-shaped site perhaps, and may have foundations, drains etc. to be removed, instead of nice fresh, open fields.

It would require all major local authorities to prepare a really thorough schedule of all the areas of brownfield within their jurisdiction, and then to tell developers that no green 
fields will be released until every bit of brownfield has been redeveloped.

This approach would be in the long-term interest of our country.

I know that local authorities have been trying to do this for some time, but there remains more to be done.