Labour needs to focus on brownfield sites

IN the midst of a housing crisis, with hundreds of thousands of new affordable and social homes urgently needed, it’s pleasing Labour seems to recognise the importance of the planning system.

It stands in stark contrast to the government’s reckless deregulation agenda.

That said, we need to see Labour prioritise the redevelopment of brownfield sites if it is to remain credible on protecting the environment.

There’s space for 1.3 million new homes to be built on suitable previously used land, much of it in urban areas of the Midlands and north crying out for regeneration.

We live in one of the most naturedepleted countries in the world and green fields need to be protected wherever possible, so we would encourage Labour to focus on making best use of our existing land first.

To tackle inequality it must also commit to targets for more social rented homes as opposed to just increasing home ownership.

Paul Miner Head of planning and policy at CPRE