Archived press release

Axe hangs over south east countryside: green belt under threat as councils revolt over "sheer madness" of housing plans

21 October 1999

Over 140,000 new homes would have to be built on Green Belt, other land designated for wildlife, landscape or recreation, or in areas completely inaccessible by public transport,if John Prescott accepts proposals by his Planning Inspectors for housing in the South East.

New analysis published today [1] by Friends of the Earth shows that counties will be forced to allocate vast areas of supposedly protected land, if they are to meet the Inspectors'recommendation that 1.1 million new homes are built in the South East between 1996 and 2016 [2]. Their only alternative would be to allocate land for housing in areas that are completely inaccessible save by car, contrary to Mr Prescott's integrated transport policy.

Counties needing to build tens of thousands of homes on Green Belt, on other designated land or in places well away from public transport are:
. Bedfordshire 21,930 homes Hampshire 40,000 homes
. Hertfordshire 37,685 homes Surrey 37,675 homes

Tony Bosworth, Friends of the Earth's Housing Campaigner, said:
“If these plans go ahead, it won't just be green fields that get built on. Green Belt, country parks, wildlife sites and local beauty spots would all be targeted,unless massive new settlements are built miles from the nearest public transport. Labour's electoral fate in the South East lies in Mr Prescott's hands.”

Even those counties which can accommodate much of their housing on undesignated land could be faced with huge problems. In many cases the Counties say that undesignated land is located away from cities and large towns, in areas with little employment. Building here could force residents to commute miles by car every day, undermining Mr. Prescott's plans to cut traffic.

A Friends of the Earth survey has revealed that councils have reacted with shock and incredulity to the plans, many rejecting outright the proposals for their area.:
. Bedfordshire CC said “the panel's proposals are totally unrealistic” [3]
. Buckinghamshire CC said that the report “beggars belief” [4]
. East Sussex CC said “we must do everything we can to persuade the Government that

this is not acceptable” [5]
. Kent CC said that “the housing figures now proposed are totally unacceptable” [6]
. Surrey CC said that the report was “sheer madness” [7]

Councils in Berkshire, Essex, Hampshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and West Sussex also expressed concern. Isle of Wight Council has not made a statement.

Tony Bosworth added:
“The stage is set for a council rebellion over the scale of housing plans in the South East. If John Prescott accepts the advice of his planning inspectors,councils will fight him virtually field by field”.

NOTES FOR EDITORS
[1] Friends of the Earth has subjected the Inspectors' recommendation for the number of new homes to be built in each county to a similar test to one that SERPLAN (the regional planning body for the South East) carried out when developing its strategy.

This involves taking the Inspectors' recommendation for new homes in each county and subtracting:
- the number of homes SERPLAN says are provided for in existing plans,
- the number of homes SERPLAN says could be built in major towns with tighter Government policies
- the number of homes SERPLAN says could be built on undesignated land near to existing towns or transport links
- the number of homes SERPLAN says could be built on 'strategic gaps' between towns

The final figure represents the number of homes that would have to be built on land designated as Green Belt or for its wildlife, landscape or recreational value (Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation, Country Parks, Regional Parks, Areas of County Importance for landscape,Conservation Areas and Areas At Flood Risk), or on land far from existing towns and public transport.

FOE's calculations show the number of houses to be built on designated land or on land far away from existing towns as follows:
Bedfordshire 21,930 Berkshire 6,144 Buckinghamshire 3,647 East Sussex * Essex * Hampshire 40,000
Hertfordshire 37,685 Isle of Wight 0 Kent 1,554 Oxfordshire * Surrey 37,675 West Sussex 0

TOTAL 142,491

* For three counties, the level of housing proposed by the inspectors was higher than any figure tested in the SERPLAN study. Thus the exact impact on designated land cannot be assessed.

[2] The Panel Report of the Public Examination into the SERPLAN draft regional planning guidance for the South East, published 8th October, recommended that councils in the region outside London should plan for 1,098,500 new homes between 1996 and 2016. SERPLAN had recommended that councils should build between 892,000 and 914,000 new homes between 1991 and 2016.

[3] Richard Payne, Bedfordshire CC Executive member responsible for the environment
[4] Bill Chapple, Chairman of Buckinghamshire CC Environmental Services Committee
[5] Bob Wilkins, East Sussex CC Director of Environment & Transport
[6] Sandy Bruce-Lockhart, Leader of Kent CC
[7] David Davis, Chairman of Surrey CC Environment Committee

If you're a journalist looking for press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

Published by Friends of the Earth Trust