New towns and villages to be imposed on rural communities that fight development
Interesting reading this. You know my views about the need to mix the protection of the countryside with a policy that gives those without a “fist full of dollars” at least some chance of living in rural England. Why do they always seek a quote in these articles from people who oppose development without interviewing someone desperate to retain a stake in their rural community by finding an affordable house there? The article tells us:
New towns will be imposed on rural communities that fight development in a clear signal that Government it is losing patience with areas that do not build enough homes.
A new Whitehall consultation published this week is proposing a “housing delivery test” which will rank how areas are delivering local homes.
Areas that fall short and fail to meet local housing targets will see the Government imposing “new settlements” on them, the document says.
Government sources said that a “new settlement would typically be small scale, but could include larger garden towns and communities”.
The same document is also proposing allowing thousands of new homes to be built on the Green Belt in the biggest relaxation to planning protections for 30 years.
The tone signals a shift in approach towards planning, with the Government making clear it is prepared to impose new towns on communities to tackle the housing crisis.
Rural campaigners were appalled, saying it was clear ministers were “ramping up the pressure” on people living in the countryside to accept more homes.
Paul Miner, the campaign planning manager at the Campaign to Protect Rural England, said: “Under these proposals local authorities are going to come under greater pressure to allow more building where developers want, often in open countryside.”