Time to dispel the Green Belt myths and get Britain building – The Property Chronicle
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Time to dispel the Green Belt myths and get Britain building Much of what is designated 'Green Belt' is not very green at all

The Economist

If the Government ever wants to solve the housing crisis, they need to step up and dispel the Green Belt myth that has become so entrenched within the British psyche. The romanticised notion of a “green and pleasant land” is strangling our cities and preventing the much-needed supply of houses.

That’s right. The time has come to finally loosen Britain’s Green Belt.

Britain’s housing crisis is only growing, with Generation Rent expecting to be locked out of the housing market for the foreseeable future. And blaming wealthy foreigners for investing in a few empty flats in London is quite simply wrong.

Despite London Mayor Sadiq Khan having “real concerns” over the number of homes being bought by overseas investors, his own inquiry into foreign property ownership revealed that fewer than 1% of new homes bought by overseas buyers were left entirely empty.

It’s the Government who have caused house prices to soar and it’s the Government who need to act. Or rather, act less. Planning restrictions that intentionally block housing developments are the root cause of Britain’s endemic housing affordability crisis.

The first place the government needs to start with is the Green Belt. At the very least we should look at whether something first brought in to slow down urban sprawl in the 1930s is fit for the 21st century. Gone are the days of suburbanisation and a shrinking London. Modern workers thrive in large cities. Despite advances in video-conferencing, in Britain’s service-orientated economy meeting face-to-face is vital.






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