The Labour Party has announced a housing initiative to build 1.5mn houses on the UK’s “grey belt”.
This plan aims to address the UK’s current housing crisis by releasing grey belt land for development.
Explaining the initiative, the Labour Party stated: “When people talk about the green belt, most people think about hills and countryside but actually some green belt land includes poor quality land, car parks, and wasteland.
“Land which could be used to build the new homes Britain so desperately needs.”
The party pledged to reform the UK’s planning system and release grey belt land for development so that it can build 1.5mn new homes.
It also committed to ensuring any new plans have a target of at least 50 per cent affordable housing.
“With Labour, new housing developments will improve public services and local infrastructure, so local residents have access to more school and nursery places, new health centers and GP appointments,” the party added,
“We will make sure that all new developments improve local green spaces and protect nature.”
The importance of this plan was underscored by Labour leader, Kier Starmer, who said: “Building homes that people can buy is so important and that affordability is almost out of reach.
“The security that buying a home gives you is huge, it’s the security of knowing it’s yours, you own it, it’s your home.”
Industry response
Responding to this initiative, Shawbrook managing director of development finance, Terry Woodley, said: “Labour's proposed plans to require councils to build on the 'grey belt' and utilise brownfield sites could be a step in the right direction.
“The UK is in urgent need of solutions to address the housing shortages, and developing brownfield sites could be a useful piece of the puzzle.”
However, Woodley cautioned this initiative “is not the sole solution”, and that it can come with its own challenges.
He evidenced this by pointing to Shawbrook research which found that 77 per cent of developers agreed that location is still the biggest driver of property sales and brownfield sites allow for attractive urban living options.
“These sites can often pose a unique set of challenges and may not be as attractive to developers compared to other options,” he explained.
“While this could be a positive change, any government considering these steps must ensure that they’re taking a multi-pronged approach.”
Woodley additionally said this approach should include an overhaul of the planning process to adequately tackle housing issues to make real progress over the next 12 months and beyond.
tom.dunstan@ft.com
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