Theresa May accused of going back on promise to protect Britain's green belt

Campaign to Protect Rural England makes warning in new report

Monday 03 July 2017 17:58 BST

May has already lost her chiefs of staff and other key members of her team following the disastrous election result (AFP/Getty)

Theresa May has been accused of reneging on her promise to protect the green belt after a new report concluded that almost half a million fresh homes are to be built, with most deemed “unaffordable”.

Campaign to Protect Rural England’s (CPRE) annual Green Belt Under Siege report found that just 28 per cent, or 118,900, of houses planned for green belt land would be affordable.

“Many local plans state clearly that the priority is not to provide affordable housing, but large houses to service demand at the top end of the market," it said.

“At a time when more than 1.8 million households in England are waiting for a ‘social’ home, a clear majority of the housing proposed on land to be released from the Green Belt will be unaffordable for most people living in the local area.”

The report claims the Government will subsidise proposed housing development on green belt land at a cost of around £2.44 billion, through the New Homes Bonus Scheme. The scheme was originally created as a way to offer incentives for local authorities to deliver affordable houses, but given the statistics, CPRE said “the Government is spending at least £2bn undermining its own commitment to protect the Green Belt".

A Department for Communities and Local Government told The Independent: “We do not recognise these figures. This government is committed to protect the green belt.

"Only in exceptional circumstances may councils alter green belt boundaries, after consulting local people and submitting the revised Local Plan for examination. We’ve been clear that councils must prioritise development on brownfield land, and announced plans to radically boost brownfield development.

"Our recent Housing White Paper also set out measures to make housing more affordable, boosted by a £7.1bn investment in affordable housing by March 2021.”

The CPRE claims that the Conservative Government has nearly doubled the number of homes planned for green belt land compared to regional plans outlined by the Labour government in 2009.

In 2015 the government revealed its intention to weaken rules that prevent homes being built on green land, allowing councils to appropriate “small-scale sites in the Green Belt specifically for starter homes". An analysis by The Independent then found that these “starter homes”, though 20 per cent cheaper than normal homes, will still only be affordable for those with an annual salary of £50,226 – the top 10 per cent.

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

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1/6The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Brexit

The big one. Theresa May has spoken publicly three times since declaring her intent to stand in the Tory Leadership race, and each time she has said, ‘Brexit means Brexit.’ It sounds resolute, but it is helpful to her that Brexit is a made up word with no real meaning. She has said there will be ‘no second referendum’ and no re-entry in to the EU via the back door. But she, like the Leave campaign of which she was not a member, has pointedly not said with any precision what she thinks Brexit means

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The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

General election

This is very much one to keep off the to do list. She said last week there would be ‘no general election’ at this time of great instability. But there have already been calls for one from opposition parties. The Fixed Term Parliaments Act of 2010 makes it far more difficult to call a snap general election, a difficulty she will be in no rush to overcome. In the event of a victory for Leadsom, who was not popular with her own parliamentary colleagues, an election might have been required, but May has the overwhelming backing of the parliamentary party

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The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

HS2

Macbeth has been quoted far too much in recent weeks, but it will be up to May to decide whether, with regard to the new high speed train link between London, Birmingham, the East Midlands and the north, ‘returning were as tedious as go o’er.’ Billions have already been spent. But the £55bn it will cost, at a bare minimum, must now be considered against the grim reality of significantly diminished public finances in the short to medium term at least. It is not scheduled to be completed until 2033, by which point it is not completely unreasonable to imagine a massive, driverless car-led transport revolution having rendered it redundant

EPA

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Heathrow expansion

Or indeed Gatwick expansion. Or Boris Island, though that option is seems as finished as the man himself. The decision on where to expand aviation capacity in the south east has been delayed to the point of becoming a national embarrassment. A final decision was due in autumn. Whatever is decided, there will be vast opprobrium

PA

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Trident renewal

David Cameron indicated two days ago that there will be a Commons vote on renewing Britain’s nuclear deterrent on July 18th, by which point we now know, Ms May will be Prime Minister. The Labour Party is, to put it mildly, divided on the issue. This will be an early opportunity to maximise their embarrassment, and return to Tory business as usual

EPA

The 6 most important issues Theresa May needs to address

Scottish Independence

Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP are in no doubt that the Brexit vote provides the opportunity for a second independence referendum, in which they can emerge victorious. The Scottish Parliament at Holyrood has the authority to call a second referendum, but Ms May and the British Parliament are by no means automatically compelled to accept the result. She could argue it was settled in 2014

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After assuming office, Ms May had reiterated her intentions to protect the green belt, and told parliament: "The Government is very clear that the green belt must be protected.

According to government statistics, approximately 13 per cent of the land area of England is designated Green Belt area, a decrease of less than 0.1 per cent between 31 March 2015 and 31 March 2016.

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