This is something that has worried me for some time, it does seem that our remaining wildernesses are shrinking. Now a report from the Green Party is confirming my worst fears. Here is what Caroline Lucas’ office is saying:
COUNCILS in the South-East are authorizing development on green belt sites
in a bid to meet ambitious targets for new homes in the region.Milton Keynes Council has been named by countryside campaign group the CPRE as one of the worst-performing councils in the country at recycling land.
According to the study, which was published this week, just 13 per cent of
new developments in the councils area were built on brownfield sites
the rest were on green land.Dr Lucas, Green Party Principal Speaker and MEP for Milton Keynes, said:
This is completely unacceptable: green spaces in the South-East are
vanishing before our very eyes thanks to the failure of planners not just
in Milton Keynes but across the region – to restrict development to
brownfield sites and converting existing buildings.The Government’s national target is for at least 60 per cent of all new
homes to be provided through building on brownfield land or by converting
existing buildings.Dr Lucas added: “The Governments plans to concrete over the countryside
with new runways and half a million new homes in the South East represent a
severe threat to our green spaces.This study shows how poorly equipped many councils in the region are to
limit the impact of development on local residents. It is especially
worrying that Milton Keynes and Ashford two of the Governments preferred
towns earmarked for massive expansion are amongst the worst performing
councils in the country.Other councils in Dr Lucass South-East England region singled out for
criticism included Ashford, which only built 33 per cent of new developments
on brownfield land, and Eastbourne, which only managed 30 per cent. Crawley
was the only town whose record 92 per cent of developments built on
brownfield land was praised.South Buckinghamshire and Mole Valley councils were slammed for allowing
development at low densities, well below the Government planning guidance of
30 dwelling per hectare. Mole Valley (in Surrey) managed just 17 dwellings per hectare, South Buckinghamshire only 16.