propose that just a small fraction of green belt land could meet our housing needs and the nimbys accuse you of wanting to concrete over all of it
The green belt is fitting one of the most controversial aspects of English planning policy. Amounting to 13% of England’s land mass,green belts circle most of our major cities and conurbations and act as a barrier to biological growth. Pressure groups like the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) claim they prevent “sprawl” and stop towns and village merging into one another, but critics argue that putting artificial barriers on smart growth is counter-productive, and increases commuting and causes rising house prices.
In a Guardian Housing Network article last year I set out six well-argued (or so I thought) reasons why we should build on the green belt. Imagine my surprise then,when I found myself being attacked over two pages in Bill Bryson’s latest best-seller The Road to Little Dribbling – More Notes from a Small Island.
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Source: theguardian.com