FEAR OF HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS ENCROACHING ON GREEN BELT
The housing issue is becoming increasingly politicised, with a general election looming.
“Sustainable development must be at the heart of our planning system,” said British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who had told reporters that Britain is expected to hold a general election in the second half of this year.
“That is why we are committed to meeting the housing needs of our communities by building the right homes in the right places, making sure that everyone makes best use of brownfield land, and conserving our countryside. I have been crystal clear, we must protect agricultural land,” he added.
The fear of housing developments encroaching on England’s green and pleasant lands – the so-called green belt – is most keenly felt in commuter towns and villages.
In Backwell village in southwest England, for instance, there are plans for more than 500 new houses.
But locals opposing the development have fought a lengthy campaign against it, which is now being reviewed by the local authority.
Across the nation, home prices are more than eight times the average salary, with that figure being far higher in London and other popular areas.
Property agents see a continued demand for affordable housing.
“We’ve had a couple of years of really buoyant sales, with properties selling for over (the asking price, and) with multiple offers. Now, we are back to a more normalised market where we are taking time to sell,” said Parker’s Estate Agents director Andrew Simmonds.
The only way first-time buyers can get on the property ladder is to “buy a bit of a wreck” that can then be worked on and improved, Mr Simmonds added.
“But it’s a bit of a false economy, because if they’ve got to do so much to it, it might be purchased at a cheap price but actually they are having to invest that much more in it.”
